


in every life i will love you

by mytraitorousheart



Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-02
Updated: 2018-02-27
Packaged: 2018-03-28 18:16:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 25,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3864865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mytraitorousheart/pseuds/mytraitorousheart
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Collection of my AU/AH drabbles and oneshots about Klaroline.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The King and I

The first time Caroline heard Klaus speak, he was convincing a group of fellow twelve year olds to join him on a mission to creep into a neighbors' estate to steal apples from their trees. She had visited their family estate with her parents and governess for a social event, and as she watched him she was entranced by his passion, his influence, the power that he alluded. Even at eight years old she could recognize greatness, someone who would inspire nations, and she felt butterflies in her stomach for the first time when he smiled at her and asked if she would like to join them.

He was twenty-three when he knew for certain that he wanted the crown and he would do everything in his power to possess it. An impulsive man, a ruthless fighter, but a charming orator, Klaus had obtained a group of loyal followers that were inspired by his cause and keen to usurp the throne from the current tyrant. Along with his brother Elijah, who handled the strategic aspects of their upcoming rebellion, Klaus put the plans in motion to return his family's name to its former glory, to free his county from an incompetent ruler and to take up the role he was born to do.

At eighteen, her parents decided to marry her off to the first wealthy man to show an interest in her. Richard Lockwood was over twenty years her senior, widowed, a member of the King's court and benefited from the lavish lifestyle that the current monarch entertained. Richard Lockwood desired a woman by his side, to take care of his needs – not a companion and an equal – Caroline was beautiful and obliging and shortly after meeting her he made plans to marry.

He made it known that her place was to serve him, he laughed at her attempts at small talk, he touched her inappropriately in public. She hated every minute that she spent in his company but she knew that the duty of a daughter was to uphold the wishes of her parents, even if it meant marrying someone who disgusted her. On the day of her wedding, her veil not only masked her face, but the tears that were pouring down.

* * *

 

Stage two of Elijah's plan required Elijah and Klaus, as first cousins of the current King, to be hosted as guests of the court. As Klaus looked out of the window of the room that he would stay in until the King was dead and he could take residence in the main quarters of the palace, he smiled to himself. Their plan was in motion, they had no hiccups of yet and soon the throne would be his.

He glanced over at the opposite window and saw one of the most magnificent sights he had ever beheld: a beautiful woman with long blonde locks climbing out of a bath. She was completely naked and Klaus could not help but to stare at her form that seemed to be sculpted to perfection. Her smooth white skin, her plump breasts, her long legs, her rounded bottom, everything about her seemed ripe for the taking. Her face looked oddly familiar but he could not place where he had seen her before, just that she had awakened a form of desire within him, which was usually reserved for power and blood.

* * *

 

The first time she spent time alone with Lord Niklaus, her husband was away doing business with France. They had simply taken a walk around the grounds and rekindled an old friendship but in that short time the handsome and dynamic young man had crept into her heart as he told her about how great a nation England could become. When he looked at her, his eyes shone and he gave her the most intimate smiles that made every inch of her shiver.

Each time her husband would go away, he would spend time with her; making an effort to learn more about her: her thoughts, her opinions, her desires. In each one of these meetings his displays of affections become more overt – a brush of a forearm became a discreet grab of a palm, which turned into a kiss on her hand. Each time she saw him her smile widened until she started counting down the days until her husband would leave again and she would be able to see Lord Niklaus. After every meeting he would leave her with a drawing, a memento of their short moments together.

* * *

 

Eight months after Lord Niklaus arrived at court, Caroline was summoned home to visit her parents – without her husband. It was a rare turn of events as since her marriage she had hardly seen her family but she had assumed it was an emergency and that was the reason she was summoned. A few days after she had appeared at her parents' estate, news broke that there had been a coup at the palace and everyone at court, including her husband was killed in the rebellion and Lord Niklaus had been named the new ruler of England.

After the coronation, Lady Caroline was summoned back to the palace, even though there was no queen to wait on. King Niklaus wasted no time in trying to woo her but his actions had marred him in her eyes. He longed for the warmth she displayed in days gone by, instead of the fear that she had when she reminded herself of the atrocities he committed to sit on the seat that he now possessed.

But the attraction to him proved too great for her to resist for too long. Through everything that had happened, through all the pain he caused, she had fallen in love with him before she had realized it, and it was not just the twelve-year old boy who had included her in a game, or the young man who drew her so beautifully, it was the dark man who craved power any yet, loved her through his darkness that she was drawn to.

* * *

 

On her second wedding day, the tears followed again, but this time it was not because she feared her future it was because she was happy that the man that awaited her at end of the aisle was someone she wanted to be joined to, someone she loved more than she could ever fathom, someone she longed to spend the rest of her life with. When she caught a glimpse of his face when he watched her walk towards him, her heart swelled with emotion that someone could look at her like she was their world – not just a space a fill, a duty to uphold.

Klaus picked at the sleeve of his shirt as he made his way to his Caroline's bedchamber where her ladies-in-waiting were getting her ready for her wedding night. Through all their interactions and flirtations, Klaus had honored Caroline's position as a married woman and then as an unwed one, and this night would be their first together.

As the ladies scattered out, Klaus entered to find his bride sitting beside her vanity waiting for him. She wore a white linen chemise and her long blonde hair was flowing down her back. To an experienced eye, she looked modest and innocent, but Klaus saw a woman who resembled an angel, who was too perfect for him to ever possess but by some luck of fate, had chosen to love him. He needed no preamble as he rushed to her, cupping her face as her kissed her passionately, his heart swelling at the fact that he was finally getting what he wished for so long, for Caroline to be truly his.

Caroline placed her arms around his neck, her hands getting lost in his curls, as she pulled him closer to her. She opened her mouth to grant his tongue access, as it began to match hers with passion and desire and his hands started to wander down her body over her chemise, almost as if he was feeling every part of her to commit it to memory. The pleasure of having his hands on her was slighted dimmed by the fabric in between their bodies. She moved her hands to his shoulders as she pulled back from the kiss, he looked at her questionably but she gave him a reassuring smile, pulling her chemise up and over her head and his eyes widened in mild surprise. He was now face to face with the very naked body that had caught his eye the first day at the palace and continued to haunt his dreams thereafter.

She sauntered towards him with a newfound confidence urged on by the lustful way he was staring at her. Her hands made their way to the buttons of his shirt and he placed his hands on her hips. With each button that she unbuttoned, a new part of his chest was exposed to her; she gave him a mischievous yet shy smile before she placed an openmouthed kiss to each new part of his beautifully sculpted chest. Her ministrations were making him more than ready to be inside of her, his hard length pushing uncomfortably on the seams of his breeches as he moved his hands to unleash his manhood, suddenly becoming impatient with her slow pace. He pulled her face back up so that their lips could be rejoined and he could continue to ravish her mouth. As their bodies were flush against each other again, he took the opportunity to lead her to the bed and for him to step out of his breeches.

Klaus picked her up swiftly and laid her down on the bed. She smiled at him as he climbed on top of her, kissing her slowly and sensually as she arched her back to grind her body closer to him, their kisses becoming more feverish and passionate. Klaus moved his lips to her chin, down to her neck as his hands once again explored her glorious curves, now with nothing between them except the heat that was radiating off of her in waves. He cupped one of her breasts and massaged it softly as his mouth trailed down to embrace the other one, his tongue making circles around her nipples before he took it in his mouth and sucked hungrily, and she cried out in pleasure, overcome with emotion at the way he was worshiping her body.

His mouth moved from her perfect mounds to trace a path down her stomach to her hot, wet core. She gasped as he kissed her thighs and then slowly dipped his tongue inside of her. She had never experienced such ecstasy before. In her previous marriage, intercourse was limited to her husband taking what he wanted and not being bothered to pleasure her in return. But Klaus was taking his time to learn what she enjoyed, what made her squirm. When Klaus' tongue reached her sweet spot, she thought she might pass out from pure pleasure. All coherent thoughts were swept from her mind, as her body constricted and she experienced her first orgasm. Klaus looked up at her, proud that he alone could cause her to become so undone, that the satisfied on her face was because of  _his_  actions.

Caroline opened her eyes and looked down her husband who was once again staring at her with that look of adoration and reverence and she whispered, "Niklaus, I need you to make me yours." Klaus needed no further prompt as he climbed above her once again, their bodies leveled. He kissed her once again before easing himself into her. She moaned out loud, when he thrust inside of her, creating a firm rhythm, his length seeming just right inside of her, their bodies moving as if they were created to be one. He grunted loudly as her walls constricted around him once again and she reached the peak of her pleasure, screaming his name as if it was a declaration. He followed soon after, empting his seed inside of her. As both came down from their highs, he lowered himself to lie down next to her, placing his hand on her cheek and guiding her face to look at his, his eyes saying everything his mouth could not – that he loved her, that he needed her, and that she would always be his queen.


	2. A Tea for Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Caroline throws a tea party which no one attends…but Klaus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The prompt was: Caroline throws a tea party and Klaus is the only one that turns up.

"Okay, the invites are sent, the cakes made, the table set, and now I just wait for everybody to get here," she said to herself as she smoothed out her floral dress and crossed her legs under the plastic table. Her smile was wiped quickly off her face when she felt someone pulling on her blonde pigtails. A mass of jet-black hair passed her, "Damon, go away, you're not invited to my party!" She stuck her tongue out at him.

"I didn't want to come anyway, and Elena is also having a tea party on the other side of the playground, everyone is going to that," he pointed out pompously, "Nobody wants to come to your boring party, Caroline Smelloline." Caroline scrunched up her face uncomfortably as she felt the onslaught of tears approach. As Damon ran away to join the rest of the children at Elena's party, she wiped away the rebellious tears that fell down her face, and breathed deeply three times, the way her mother taught her to when she got anxious or upset and she made her way back into the kindergarten building.

He watched her emerging from the building, her blonde head barely visible under the pile of teddy bears that she carried in her arms. He watched amused as she placed each of the teddy bears down on the empty seats.

"Okay!" She exclaimed as she sat down at the head of the table, "Now who would like some tea? I see your hand there Mr. Paddington, now is there a reason you're not eating your cupcake?"

"He doesn't like vanilla, he prefers chocolate," he said as he came out from behind the jungle Jim.

Her eyes widened with embarrassment and shock when the boy with the dark blonde hair and the smirk stood in front of her.

"I was just playing pretend, no need to mock me Klaus," she narrowed her eyes in defiance.

"I wasn't mocking you, I was helping you understand your guests. My mother always says that you should know what each one of guests like when they come for tea."

Surprised at his answer, she carried on pouring tea for her guests as she asked him, "Why are you here? Why aren't you at Elena Gilbert's tea party?" He didn't miss how her voice turned bitter at the mention of the golden girl.

"Because I don't like Elena Gilbert. She thinks she is the princess over all of us, and we have to listen to everything she says, and I heard you were having a tea party too," he added with a smile. He was strangely tuned in to everything that Caroline Forbes did, if she organized a game he was always the first one to play with, if she sang or recited a poem, he would clap first. There was something about her face that compelled him. Sometimes he would draw pictures of her with her yellow hair and bright blue eyes and was certain that one day he would show them to her, but he would always chicken out and give it to his baby sister instead, telling her that's how beautiful she would be when she grew up.

"But I didn't invite you," she replied sheepishly.

"But you looked like you could use the company, or would you prefer the teddy bears?" He said, gesturing to her stuffed acquaintances.

"No no, have a seat," she smiled warmly at him, "We always have room for one more at our table."

She removed a small teddy bear that was sitting on the chair nearest to her and placed it on the floor, her stomach lighting up in an odd way, for the first time someone wanted to be with her instead of Elena, someone was happy to play pretend with her, to be seen with her even it was not the coolest place to be.

He grinned as he sat down on the now unoccupied chair and lifted his cup up for her to pour him some imaginary tea, happy to be on the receiving end of one of her smiles.


	3. Remember Our Promise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Klaus is a soldier fighting in World War II, Caroline is his lover. She refuses to marry anyone else as she waits for him to come home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The prompt was Klaus is a soldier in World War II, Caroline is his lover, they write love letters to each other. Caroline refuses to marry anyone else and waits for Klaus to return.

"Say it again!" She demanded as she lay next to him in the garden of lilies her father had planted for her mother, just because it was her favorite flower.

He sighed but she saw a smile creep up on his face, "Caroline Forbes, I promise to come home to you after this godforsaken war is over. I promise to make an honest woman out of you. I promise to not fall in love with any foreign women who offer their bodies to me. And I promise I will always love you. Good enough?" He asked as he turned to her.

She moved her head so that she was facing him and replied, "I didn't feel the conviction, perhaps you need to say it one more time."

He smirked at her, tracing her face with his hand, trying to commit to it to memory. "I have a better idea of how I can show you my conviction," he said as he leaned down to kiss her and stifle her giggle.

* * *

 

_To my dearest Caroline,_

_It has been barely three months since I left home, but everywhere we go is filled with sadness and loss and long to be back in your arms, protected from all the pain and coated in your smiles._

_We were encouraged to treat the men in our infantry as family, but I do not know them, and none are particularly friendly. I do not fight to protect them, or the country, when I fight I fight to protect you and my family and our future together. We have been told that mail takes a while to reach the recipient, so I hope by the time you get this, you haven't forgotten about me and run off with Tyler Lockwood or Matt Donovan or any of the other men who so long to court you._

_Remember our promise, remember the love I have for you and remember I am coming home to you._

_Yours,_

_Klaus_

* * *

 

_To my love Klaus,_

_I just received your letter, I have wanted to write you for ages but Mother said I had to wait until you contacted me first. I am sorry that you are so lonely and surrounded by so much hurt, how I wish I was with you and could comfort you during this time. It saddens me that you are in so much pain, and there is nothing I can do to help you._

_They all said I shouldn't tell you, but I have news, which might give you more incentive to fight, if not for the other soldiers or for the country, but for your family: I am with child. It has caused much shame for the family, but with so many men off to war; the community has been very understanding. I am ecstatic that the product of our love is growing inside me and when you return you will meet him or her and they would know what is like to have parents who love each other as deeply as we do and will love them just as much._

_I remember the first time that you told me you loved me, as we were stealing apples from Mrs. Fell's tree, and I fell because I thought I could climb higher than you and you carried me all the way back home. I had never seen you so scared, my fearless wolf, and you kept whispering that you love me and I can't die, so dramatic. So now, when you are scared, are you think that you might die, I want you to imagine me and your child whispering to you that we love you and that you can't die._

_Remember our promise, I love you and only you, always._

_Yours,_

_Caroline_

* * *

 

_To my Caroline,_

_Today we lost two men. We have been spending all our time together, and these men are now my brothers, every hurt counts, and when I dream all I see is their faces in their final moments and I wonder what their last thoughts are. One of the two, Stefan, told me about his wife Elena, and how their daughter Katherine had just taken her first steps. He showed me pictures of them and described the holidays they would take together. Stefan will never kiss Elena again. He won't see Katherine graduate high school, and they will take that trip to the cliffs of Dover. I cannot imagine the pain they feel._

_I sometimes wish we had never fallen in love. That I had never plucked up the courage to talk to you that day at that café. I remember how beautiful you looked, with your red polka dot dress and white scarf, I remember thinking that I had never seen someone that looked more perfect in my life and I had to know you. But if we had never fallen in love, I would not worry about leaving you or causing you pain, or leaving our child without a father. But the selfish side of me knows that my love for you is what is keeping me alive, my stubborn need to get back to you. If I leave this earth today, I would always be happy that got to be with you._

_Remember our promise, remember our love and remember I'm coming home to you._

_Yours,_

_Klaus_

* * *

 

_To my love Klaus,_

_You are the father to a healthy baby boy, weighing 3, 42kg, with a little tuft of blonde hair. Your mother and I have decided to name him Elijah William Mikaelson, after your grandfather and my father. I wanted to wait until you came home to name him, but since we have not received correspondence from you in a while and we don't know when you are going to come home, we just ahead and named him. Our next child's name will be left all to you._

_Every day that I look at Elijah, he reminds me of you, he has two small dimples in his cheeks and bright pink lips and your mother says that you looked exactly the same when you were a baby. I hate to leave him; sometimes I stay the night in the nursery because I feel like I have a part of you with me when I am with him. I can't wait for you to meet him and we can be a real family._

_As I write this letter, I am sitting on my porch, and I look down the driveway waiting for you to come walking down in your uniform that you look so handsome in. I have started working at the perfume counter at Harrods to make some extra money to care for Elijah. I showed all the women at work the photograph that I carry of you in my purse and they say that you are more handsome than Cary Grant and of course I knew that already. I spend an extra hour in prayer every night, praying for you, your new family and the rest of the soldiers of both sides and their families. I know you will fight for us, and fight to return home, because you are the bravest man I know._

_Remember our promise, remember our love and remember our future._

_Yours,_

_Caroline_

Caroline put down her pen as she thought of what else to write. Every week she mailed a letter to Klaus, every week she waited for the mailman to bring her a response, every week she was disappointed. Like the habit it was, she looked up from her page and stared at the driveway, curious to see if there was any movement and what she saw there made her heart jump.

He walked towards her; a bag slung over his shoulder so casually that it looked as if someone had just thrown it on him at haste, his uniform was crisp and clean and fitted him so well. His face beaming at her, looking just as young and fresh as it did the day he left her. She was frozen for a moment, unable to stand or get up, the thought of him so close, making his way towards her was so unbelievable.

A little boy with blonde hair ran out onto the porch, a toy airplane in his hand as he pretended it was in flight. Caroline beckoned to the boy, "Elijah! Elijah! Come here!" He ran towards her, an unreadable expression on his face.

"Elijah, you see that man at the end of the drive way, walking towards us?" The little boy just stared at her, before looking at the driveway and then giving a curt nod.

"That's your daddy, Elijah, he has finally come home to us, just as he promised! Run inside and go call grandmother Esther, tell her that your daddy is home!"

The little boy ran inside as fast as little legs could carry him, he ran past the kitchen and the dining room, and made his way to the study where an older man was reading the newspaper.

"Daddy! Daddy! She called me Elijah again!"

The man let out a sigh and closed his newspaper, "And then what did she tell you?"

"She said I must look at the drive way, that a man was coming towards us and that that man was my daddy. But there was no one in the drive way."

The man's eyes widened as he pushed past the little boy and ran to the porch, he looked at the old woman with her eyes closed sitting in the armchair, the half written letter in front of her and he shook her when he failed to hear her breathe, sobbing "Mom, mom!" but she had already gone. He looked up and saw the last words she wrote in the letter,

_"If you cannot come to me, I will find a way to be with you."_

* * *


	4. The Reunion Show

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Klaus and Caroline are actors who were co-stars on a teen drama series who see each other again after five years and latent feelings are brought up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The prompt was: Klaroline as a celebrity couple.

Their relationship was a series of 'what if's'. What if their characters had gotten together? What if his show hadn't gotten cancelled? What if she didn't get married? What if she had accepted that lift home with him after that party?

She had tried not to think about him over the past five years, feigning indifference whenever an interviewer mentioned him. Apparently the 'almost relationship' that their characters had, on the teenage television series that they were in, were more popular than any of the real relationships her character had engaged in, she credited good writing, the public credited greater chemistry. But she shrugged it off, her and Klaus' relationship was purely platonic and plus she always had a man waiting for her at home, who would wipe away any inappropriate thoughts that slithered into her mind about Klaus.

Her niggling attraction to Klaus was easy to brush off when they were on opposite sides of the country, when her only sightings of him were in magazines or passing by each other at award shows, they hadn't exactly maintained a relationship further than Twitter since the last time that they worked together, but that was the problem with reunions, they tend to force you to deal with feelings that you thought were long buried.

As usual when he walked into the room, all attention was diverted to him. He had a sort of presence that was difficult for Caroline to explain, it was an aura of confidence, the way he held himself, the self-assured smirk that adorned his face and made her stomach clench with familiar butterflies.

She nursed her drink, chatting to Bonnie Bennett, who had played her best friend in the teen drama, over trivial things like her current occupation as a sitcom darling and Bonnie's rising singing career, as she kept glancing at Klaus out of the corner of her eye as he made his way around the room, chatting to their former co-stars, both anxious and excited for him to get to her.

She sucked in a breath as she smelt the musky scent of his cologne mixed with the leather of his jacket (how did she remember that after five years?) and heard Bonnie say, "Klaus, how have you been?"

"I've been well, Bonnie," his suave English accent making Caroline feel tingly in ways that alcohol couldn't even attempt, "I heard your new album dropped, I have to go buy a copy and find another excuse to see you so you can personally sign it."

Bonnie giggled, "You would have to okay that with Jeremy first."

"Oh what Jeremy doesn't know won't hurt him," Klaus teased.

Bonnie shook her head and chuckled, "Still haven't changed, I see."

"I like to keep things interesting," Klaus responded, "Good evening Caroline." He turned to her as she looked up from her glass where she had studied every bubble in her drink.

"Hi Klaus, long time no see," she replied, pasting on her most cheerful smile. His eyes scouring her face in that all too familiar way that had her squirming all those years ago, and which time had not diminished.

"Um Klaus, it was great seeing you again, but I see Anna approaching Jeremy and I don't want any latent feelings to come out," Bonnie said as she made her way to her husband. Five years after they stopped working together, Bonnie and Jeremy's relationship had survived distance, rumors and all the other celebrity drama and Caroline could not help but to admire them.

"So those two are still making it work, I remember how he used to stare longingly at her on set," Klaus noted as he watched Bonnie join Jeremy at the bar.

"Yes," Caroline affirmed, "They're trying to break the co-stars never work stereotype."

"I've never believed that stereotype."

"Of course you wouldn't," she teased him; "You took quite a fancy to your co-stars, Mr. Big Action Drama Movie Star."

"You should talk last," he countered, "If I remember correctly, your relationship with Matt wasn't just on-screen, and if rumors serve, Jeremy too."

"Okay okay, let's leave the past in the past, unless you want me to bring up Hayley?" she lifted up her eyebrow questionably.

"No!" He exclaimed, "Never bring up that awful mistake again."

She laughed, for the first time that night and he smiled at her with so much affection that she took so much for granted during the years that they worked together.

"So I'm surprised, Mr. Big Movie Star, actually had time to come to a reunion of a teen TV show," she remarked as she swirled her drink.

He laughed softly. "I have a break between films and plus this small teen show made my career, it's the least I could do for Alaric and Jenna," he said as he gestured towards their former producers.

She nodded. "I know what you mean, I owe them so much. And they've been there for me, through everything." She stared at her drink again; unable to bring up the emotional anguish she had gone through over the past year.

"I was sorry to hear about your divorce," he said quietly, "I wanted to reach out to you, but I didn't want to intrude."

She smiled gratefully at him, "It was probably for the best, and I can't imagine the rumors the tabloids would have made up if we had been spotted together."

"Oh I can imagine, probably something along the lines of 'Klaus and Caroline together at last," he said lifted his hands in the area as if tracing a banner.

She laughed, "Or Klaus and Caroline, the new Ashton and Mila."

A sense of comfortableness fell over them, it was always like this with them, she noted to herself, so effortless, so easy, and with the wisdom that she gained over the years, she had to admit to herself that the chemistry between them that she had so often scoffed at was not just something made up by crazy fans, this was something different to what she had experienced with her other co-stars and somehow she knew he felt like that too.

"So, where's Camille tonight?" She asked.

"At home, I'm supposing," he responded in a disinterested tone.

"Well, according to US Weekly, the two of you are dating," she replied, cursing to herself, it probably made it sound like she was stalking him.

"According to US Weekly I'm dating many women, but yes, Camille and I were dating, but it got too serious so I called it off."

Caroline looked up at him, surprised, "Klaus Mikaelson, you aren't a young buck anymore, you have to start getting serious, get married, have some mini-Mikaelsons running around."

He chuckled at her dramatic comment before looking at her seriously, "I do intend on settling down someday but with the right woman, and Camille was not the right woman. She was just a passing fancy, I am cursed to always want the ones I can't have."

His stare penetrated her and she gulped down the rest of her drink, and swiftly took another one from a passing waitron. Klaus recognized the conflicting emotions plaguing her; he was all too familiar with it.

"So Jeremy was telling me, that he and Bonnie have been together for seven years," he said as a way to lighten the mood.

"Has it been seven years already?" she countered, "It seemed just the other day that we caught them making out at Jenna's birthday party. They were so sly, it took us all by surprise."

"I will never forget that night, for an entirely different," he responded, his eyes darkening.

"Klaus –" she looked at him pleadingly.

"Yes, I know, we had some unspoken agreement that we would never bring it up again. But my masochistic mind has been replaying that kiss on repeat for all these years, it almost makes me pity other women who have tried to compare."

"Klaus, don't go there."

"I know, I know, you never felt the way about me as I felt about you, and it was wrong for me to make you feel so uncomfortable when I knew you had already started seeing Jesse. And of course then it was the engagement and the wedding, you had to understand it was very difficult for me to keep working with you, knowing how I felt, and knowing that you would never reciprocate my feelings."

"Klaus, why are you telling me this now?"

"Because despite everything, I still hold a torch for you that so bright that everything else in my life pales in comparison and not time nor distance nor husbands would ever put it out. That kiss was not an impulse by a drunken fool, it was a plea of a desperate man so eager to feel connected to the one woman who had ever made him feel. Perhaps Rebekah is right and I am an idiot for falling for the wrong woman but I knew that I would not forgive myself if I left here tonight and did not tell you how I feel."

"Klaus, you're projecting, this isn't real, this is the problem with co-star relationships, you are mixing the emotions of the characters with your own, " she tried to reason with him.

"No!" He responded in a harsh whisper, "Don't cheapen this. Do you know when I knew I wanted you? The first day we spoke at the craft service table on my first day on set, before we shared a scene together, before the writers had even dreamt of us becoming love interests. Perhaps it was my enthusiasm for our scenes, which made them so special and so loved. Do you know that after all the films I've made and the other television series I've been on, that is still the only onscreen relationship I still get asked about?"

She was speechless, the honesty behind his confession catching her off-guard and she took a long sip from her glass.

Klaus looked at her for a moment, an expression of pain and absolute heartache adorning his handsome features, before he nodded lightly and turned to walk away from her.

She wanted to call him back, to reach out to him, to tell her that she was tired of fighting her feelings for him but the words never came out, her hands refused to stretch out to him and her legs were stuck in place as she watched him walk away from her for the second time.

* * *

 

The piano keys felt like butter beneath his fingers, the notes of Chopin that was burnt into his brain, filled the small lounge area of the hotel that they were all staying in. It was late and it was empty, so he made full use of the area and his semi-recognizable celebrity status in order to play through his conflicting feelings.

On one hand, it troubled him that he laid his heart on his sleeve for her to crush again, but on the other, he was glad she knew how he felt. The music reached a crescendo as he heard a small gasp behind him. He turned swiftly in his seat, expecting to find a lost bellboy, but instead he saw Caroline walking towards him.

His breath hitched for the second time that evening, her body snug in her tight black dress, just like his feelings, time did not diminish her beauty.

"I didn't know that you played," she said as she leant against the baby grand piano.

"There are lots of things you don't know about me, love," he responded as he turned back to the keys and continued playing.

"I didn't know you still felt this way, hell, I didn't know you felt that way then, I thought it was just a random kiss…"

"Don't lie to yourself, you always knew that you weren't just anybody to me and that kiss was anything but random," he replied, meeting her eyes again.

"I was young, I was confused, and I think a large part of me recognized your affection but feared the attraction I had to you, what it could mean, what we could be together. I crave control and I can't control myself around you, it's taking all of me to stand still right now."

"Then why are you?" he breathed out.

Within seconds the beautiful melodic sounds of Chopin was replaced by the cacophonous sound of random keys as Caroline launched herself at him, her lips collided with his, and in that moment he could have sworn that his mediocre piano playing was replaced by the sound of an orchestra of angels, he had imagined that moment so many items over the past couple of years but nothing prepared him for taste of her. He stood up, his lips devouring her, his tongue battling hers as he grabbed her by her waist and hoisted her onto the instrument.

She gasped for a moment, breaking apart as he maneuvered himself between her legs.

"You have no idea, how much I have thought about this," he whispered.

"How much?" She demanded, as she grabbed onto his tie to pull him closer to her and her stiletto-clad heels met behind his back.

His lips started creating a pattern from her clavicle to her ear, leaving wet kisses in its wake, his rough stubble scratching against her skin until he reached her ear and he whispered, "Everyday for seven years, only you."

She sucked in a breath as he thumbs moved over the straps of her dress, letting them fall down her arms, like he was unwrapping a gift that he had been waiting a long time for.

"I've thought about this too," she breathed out, causing him to pause for a second before carrying on with the task at hand, "Even when I was with Matt and Jesse, I couldn't stop thinking about you."

He captured her lips again lifting her body up to peal her skintight dress off of her and tossing it onto the floor.

He sighed, looking at her lingerie-clad body, almost unable to believe that she really was in front of him and he wasn't going to wake up from his perfect dream at any moment.

Her hands moved to his lapels, stroking his neck before she undid his tie and tossed to the ground, they broke apart for a second to breathe, before their hands were on each other again, his in her hair, and hers haphazardly undoing the buttons on his dress shirt. She forced his hands down, as she slipped his shirt off his shoulders, and she took a moment to admire his body. Working in Hollywood, she has seen her fair share of beautiful physiques and she had seen his too when they worked together. But in that moment, in that hotel, with that lighting, he looked perfect and she knew she was with the person she was meant to be with.

While she was mesmorised by his body, he had moved his hands to the back of her black lace bra, and snapped it open, causing the garment to fall away from her perfect body, his eyes darkened with lust, and his need became uncontrollable, primal as his hands moved to cup the perfect mounds, that times before he could only imagine.

He kissed across a jaw, down her neck, massaging her breasts simultaneously while his thumbs brushed against her hardened nipples and she shuddered.

It was obvious that he was more than adept at pleasuring women as his tongue moved across her collarbone, dipping into crevices, exploring her body. He was worshipping her with his mouth and his hands, and there was no place she would rather be.

The minute his plush lips met her full breast, she lost it. Her nails scraping across his scalp as she forced his head closer to her, his tongue sucking, his teeth nibbling and the entire sensation giving her more pleasure than she had ever had. He moved across to her other breast and gave it the same amount of attention before moving back up to claim her mouth in a bruising and possessive kiss.

Her hands moved instantly to his trousers, undoing the belt in record time and unzipping before pushing it down as far as she could, Klaus made no effort to help her as he carried on kissing her. Who was to know that he would learn the value of kissing, which he had often attributed to the innocence of adolescence before you move onto the main course, with this goddess in his arms, she revitalized the art, made him feel as if he was experiencing it for the first time.

Caroline's small hand reached in his boxer briefs and pulled his manhood out, stroking it expertly, her hands moving up and down in a rhythmic pace. Distracted, he tore his lips away from hers and let out the breath, overwhelmed by the pleasure her hands' were causing and the fact that it was her giving him such pleasure. Caroline moved closer and tugged on his ear with her teeth before whispering, "So Mr. Big Action Movie Star, how's about you show me some of that action?"

He groaned loudly, before grabbing her hands and removing them from his cock, she giggled at how fast he moved. His hands shot immediately to her lace panties and promptly began to peal it off her perfectly shaped legs, oh how many hours he had spent just staring at those legs, but what lay between them, was what he always thought was out of his reach but now here he was, positioned just outside her core while she was dripping for him.

He entered her slowly, giving her enough time to get accustomed to his size and ease herself through it and when she was filled to the hilt, he started moving, painfully slow.

He studied her, wanting to see every expression that crossed her face, every emotion, knowing that he was affecting her like this. He saw her teeth clench, her eyes shut close, her body arch until she moved her legs to meet across his backside pushing him further and her eyes snapped open and she breathed out, "Klaus, Klaus, Faster, I need more."

And he obliged, moving faster and faster, thrusting into her, his cock encompassed by the walls of her core, it felt right, perfect. He was already too far-gone in the pleasure of being surrounded by her, her body, her touch, her voice, her smell when he felt her convulse around, her orgasm shaking her body as she cried out his name in a muffled moan against his neck. He followed soon after, whispering her name like a lament. His reverence for her obvious in the way he said her name, the way he touched her, the way he looked at her.

When they finally plucked up the courage to pull away from each other and get dressed before a curious hotel staff member or disgruntled guest interrupted them, he sighed and smiled looking at her.

"So…dinner?"

"Klaus Mikaelson, I think you owe more that dinner for that performance," she chuckled before sighing, "The fans are going to have a field day, but for once I don't care." 


	5. Floors of Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Every morning Caroline admires her Future Husband. Every morning they don’t speak to each other. Until one fateful Valentine’s Day he decides to break the pattern.

The Accola-Morgan building had 15 floors and unfortunately for Caroline, YG and Associates, the company that she worked at was situated on the 14th floor. Riding up fourteen floors on an elevator was a mundane task but nothing that a level of Angry Birds or research for her latest case couldn't solve.

This particularly morning however the elevator ride was talking longer than Frodo's walk from the Shire to Mordor. She was ten minutes late, her hair was only half curled, she had spilt coffee on her blouse and her cellphone's battery was dead. But to add a cherry at the top of her catastrophic cake, Murphy's Law kicked into place right at the last moment when the elevator zinged open at the sixth floor and none other than her future husband walked in.

She scrambled into a corner, right behind a big burly man and prayed to every deity on heaven and on earth that he did not see her. Perhaps he didn't know who she was, perhaps they had never had so much as an introduction, but in her head they were already walking down the metaphorical aisle and she did not want her first meeting with the father of her phantom babies to be when she looks like a blonde version of Russell Brand.

He was annoyingly perfect. Dark blue eyes, dirty blonde hairs, a lean body that was silently begging her to run her fingers over and faint stubble peppered across his chin and cheeks, leaving her constantly wondering how it would feel scraping against her soft skin. As he pursed his lips to take a sip of his coffee, she admired him shamelessly, Big Burly Bob in front of her was keeping her hidden (she silently thanked that extra cheeseburger he probably ate for dinner last night). She sighed to herself as she surveyed the walking piece of art in the elevator, her mother always warned her about chasing after impossible men and this crush was no different. No matter how many times they were together in her dreams, the closest to it coming true would be him passing her to get off the elevator.

She knew he worked on the 12th floor at the advertising firm. She knew that he was British (swoon x5) by the way he spoke to his colleagues in the elevator, and she knew he had a younger sister by the fact that she heard him barking at her for maxing out his credit card on the phone one afternoon (even when he's angry, he's sexy). But every bit of his mannerisms made him more endearing to her, and then though she knew that there was a chance he could be a serial killer, she didn't care, there was no harm in looking and she would take whatever she could. As of the current day, there was no wedding ring on his finger, but what of tomorrow, what if he met the love of his life in the next week, and then this zoo show would have far too much guilt around it (even she felt wrong perving over a married man, except Channing Tatum, he's public property).

She was disappointed when the elevator finally stopped at the 12th floor, because that was his cue to leave, and so like every other day, he picked up his briefcase and walked out of the elevator. Caroline let out the breath that she didn't even know she was holding relaxing against the wall of the elevator, in eyeline again and out from behind Big Burly Bob. The doors were almost closed when a strong hand stopped them, clawing his way back into the elevator, Future Husband looked straight at her before saying in his delicious accent, "I almost forgot, Happy Valentine's Day", and he handed her a single stemmed red rose before exiting the elevator again and letting the doors shut behind him.

The other travellers on the elevator looked at her strangely (even Big Burly Bob) but Caroline continued to look at the rose, her face flushed, as she rode the remaining floors up to her office. She did not understand what it meant. Perhaps he was just being polite, perhaps he could see she was having a bad day but either way he noticed her and even though she looked as if a colony of pelicans had taken residence in her hair it was enough to turn her whole day around.

The office was abuzz with Valentine's decorations and gifts from loved ones. Usually such a sight would put her in a bad mood. Especially since her last boyfriend broke up with her, it seemed as if he put some male repellent spray in the aircon because men have been running from her faster than Justin Bieber from the police. Most of her colleagues were happy in love and the thought that she would be one of the only ones who would be spending Valentines Day alone had left a pool of dread in her stomach. But today, she told herself that she would not let her loneliness or lack of romance in her life get her down, she would celebrate the fact that she loves herself, her job, her friends, and for now that was enough. It was only after a certain sexy stranger handed her a rose that she started wishing for more again.

In high school, the school council had a very special way to make money on Valentines Day (because lets be honest it's all about the money) they would allow students to buy roses for other students and on Valentines Day they would announce the list of recipients and every year Caroline fell short. She wished and wished that one day the student body president would announce her name, that there would be somebody out there who noticed her, appreciated her, saw her amongst all the other faces. But each year, the pages would get put away she would stare at the empty buckets wishing that there had been some mistake that somehow her name was forgotten off the list, and somewhere her secret admirer still pined after her.

"So what are you going to do tonight?" Her friend Elena asked her across the divider which performed the pitiful task of attempting to make their desks look bigger.

"Well, I have a romantic dinner with my cat, before we move the party to the couch where I shall feed her catnip while we watch whatever sappy film the TV networks have thrown at us single folk this year,"she replied.

Elena laughed, "That's good! At least you aren't doing anything reckless like torching Tyler's house, although I was holding out for you to get a last minute date."

"From who? My postman? No other men have shown any interest," Caroline blushed slightly, not quite ready to be snapped out of her elevator/rose filled haze by telling anyone, "Anyway what does Romance MVP, Mr. Stefan Salvatore have planned for the big night?|

A small smile appeared on Elena's face, "I have no idea. He just told me to wear a dress and be ready at 7pm. He's becoming an international man of mystery. But that suits me fine, I love surprises."

Caroline nodded, her friend deserved happiness and peace, that the feeling of being safe and free with a man who truly loved her. She could only wish for that for herself one day.

It was dark outside when she finally left work, she covered some of Elena's work,allowing her to leave early so that she could meet Stefan. She made her way to the elevators (making double sure that her phone was charged, her hair was brushed and the new blouse that she bought during her lunch break was tucked in properly. The elevator was empty when she got in, breathing a sigh of relief she took out her phone and resumed her competitive Angry Birds game.

Her heart stopped momentarily with the elevator when the doors sprang open at the 12th Floor and it seemed as if her fairy godmother was working overtime when Her Future Husband strolled into the elevator. When he saw her standing on the opposite side of the elevator, his face lit up, cracking an easy smile over his beautiful features.

"Ah it seems my fates are aligned today, two spottings in one day," he said amusedly.

She smiled shyly in response.

"Oh, where are my manners? I'm Klaus Mikaelson. And you are?"

"Caroline. Forbes. Caroline Olivia Forbes. Like COF, like phlegm." She made a coughing sound as if to demonstrate. (What the hell was she doing?)

He laughed, "Well nice to finally meet you, Caroline." The way her name rolled off his tongue did unspeakable things to her, each syllable felt like a caress.

"Same here. Um, thank you for the rose," She said.

"To be perfectly honest with you I toyed around giving you flowers for quite sometime, I thought the single stemmed rose on Valentines Day would be the most acceptable and the least creepy," he responded.

"You were!?" She replied, shocked.

"I hardly thought I was discreet, the way my stare would linger on you a little too long or the fact that I come purposely late to work in the morning, loitering in the building's coffee shop, just so that I could see you everyday."

"Me?" Caroline felt as if a hooded bandit had moved at record speed and stolen her voicebox.

"Yes," he responded suavely, "Ever since I had first laid eyes on you, you have encompassed all my thoughts awake and asleep, and I know if I ever wanted to concentrate on anything else again, I needed to speak to you, but to be honest I probably would have chickened out of it again if we didn't get into the same elevator again now."

Caroline opened her mouth to respond, before snapping it shut again. It seemed that her brain was refusing to co-operate and do it's damn job, instead freezing up in such a crucial moment and leaving her gaping like an idiot. Noticing or cleverly ignoring her fish-out-of-water state, Klaus carried on talking, "I mean I understand completely if you do not feel the same way, I knew this was a risk, who's to know whether or not you are in a relationship already or you have your sights set on another. I am simply an ordinary opportunist who could not imagine not knowing you."

Caroline's brain finally kicked into gear and recovered after those words, "No no boyfriend to speak of, I haven't had one in ages. Truth be told, receiving that rose was probably the highlight of my entire year."

"The year has only been two months…"

"Well in that case, the last five years," She said with an encouraging smile, a confidence that had been been dormant for the entire conversation rearing it's head.

"In that case, would you like to join me for dinner? All the restaurants are probably booked up, seeing how it's Valentine's Day, but I could probably whip up something in my kitchen. If that's okay with you?"

"Yes, it is," emanating a coolness with she did not possess (inside she was screaming in a tone so high not even dogs would be able to hear it), "I'm 78% sure my cat was going to stand me up for our annual Valentine's Day dinner anyway."


	6. The Queen and Her Knight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Caroline is a queen conquering lands. Klaus is her loyal knight. Her is the one who warms her bed and her heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: A klaroline69 request - Caroline is a queen conquering lands and Klaus is her loyal knight. He is also the one who warms her heart and her bed.

The icy tip of the sword outlined his adam's apple as he swallowed nervously. He was well aware of the perspiration that was dripping down the side of his face and it meshed against the cold rain that poured down.. She licked her lips hungrily before narrowing her eyes and distorted her mouth into a smirk.

"So Lord Lockwood, would you like to repeat our agreement?"

"Not particularly," he muttered.

"What was that?" The clipped tone of her voice startled him.

"Nothing, your Grace," he responded hastily.

"Then let me hear the terms of our agreement," she repeated haughtily, "And speak up, the rain is making it very difficult for me to hear a thing."

"You agreed that you would not harm the townspeople or my family if I allowed you to take ownership of the land and cross over into the neighboring country," he dictated.

"And did you do that?"

"I tried my Grace but -"

"No, let me answer for you, Lord Lockwood," she interrupted him as she paced around him steadily, "Even though we had a signed treaty, you still prompted your guards to take up arms against us and barricaded yourself behind your fortress walls as if that could keep us out. You should have listened to the scary stories, Lord Lockwood, we are just as terrifying as the commoners say. Don't judge me by the dress, judge me by the blood that coated the grounds of insolent and disobedient lords such as yourself."

Lord Lockwood tried to plead for his life again.

"Enough!" She exclaimed, "I have no time to listen to you ramble about your inadequacies. The corpses that surround you should be testament enough to what it means to defy me. But yet you ask for mercy, that is something I do not bestow on just anyone, especially not traitorous rats like you. I would award you the respect of having me perform your execution myself," Her sword once again balanced on his shoulder, close to the base of his neck, "But alas, this robe is silk and the rain will spoil it enough without spilling your unworthy blood on it. Lord Niklaus!" She called a knight who was standing close to her right.

"Yes, your Grace?" his deep voice echoed in his helmet.

"Bring me Lord Lockwood's head with my dinner tonight," she ordered.

The last thing Lord Lockwood saw was the back of her scarlet dress as she walked regally back to her fortress as the sword met his neck.

* * *

He found her in her chambers, hunched over large maps, using her quill to plan routes, place down battlegrounds, decide where to send in spies. She was nothing if not thorough.

He knocked twice on the heavy doors to announce his presence, "Your Grace?"

"You may enter, Lord Niklaus," she responded curtly, turning her head towards him.

He noticed how strained she looked, those two lines on her forehead which he often found endearing were now tense as she resumed her study of the maps. She was a woman who was thrust into a position of great responsibility too young. Her mother died during childbirth, and since her childhood, Caroline had walked alongside her father, the King. He groomed her for her future position, educating her, letting her sit in on mediations between him and his people, he believed without a doubt that she would be capable to rule the country once he was deceased, and he found no need to take another wife and produce a male heir like so many of his advisors counseled him to. And once she was made queen, she proved more than capable, she surpassed her father's legacy and made her country wealthier and more prosperous than it had ever been before.

Queen Caroline was ferocious, ruthless and craved power, but yet anyone who was in her favor saw the bright, beautiful woman who loved her country more than anyone else and would do anything to keep her rightful place on the throne. She vowed never to marry or to bear children, she would not die in childbirth like her mother, her marriage was to her country.

Lord Niklaus entered her chamber cautiously, "How was your dinner, your Grace?"

She turned to look at him again, offering him a lascivious smile, "Delicious. It tasted like victory."

He came up behind her, resting his hands on his shoulders, "I think it's time for you to retire, you have done more than enough for today."

"But we have just overcome the last hurdle before reaching the Salvatore Kingdom, I cannot stop planning. The Salvatores are not like the Lockwoods and Donovans and all the other frivolous lords. Their lands have not been invaded in over a century, they have a strong army and well organized spies, I would not even be surprised if they expecting us. Damon Salvatore is no coward, he never shies away from a fight," she responded.

"Even so, have this night, just to bask in your latest victory and rest before the fight begins anew tomorrow," he said in an authoritative tone. He was the only one she allowed to dictate to her, whose counsel she respected above all others because she believed without a doubt that he had her best interests at heart.

"Perhaps you are right," she said, the naughty smile returning to her face. "In fact, I have not rewarded for your good work that you did today, Klaus" she said as she caught his lips with her own.

Klaus clenched his eyes shut as he kissed her back passionately, unleashing those emotions which he held exclusively for her. Her lips released his and began trace over his rough stubble, down his neck, her small hands resting on the firm plains of his chest.

"I didn't do it for a reward," he choked out, "I fought because that it is my duty. For the country. And for you. Always for you."

She detached her lips from his neck before smoothing out her skirts and sinking to her knees. "And for that, the country and I thank you," she remarked.

Her hands fingered the laces of his breeches before loosened them and she slowly pulled them down, she smiled at him again, "The only man that I'd get on my knees for," she murmured as she took his cock in her hands. Holding the base, her lips coated the tip, gently covering it. Those same lips that sent men to their deaths, that shouted out battle calls, were with utter ease pleasuring him in the most intimate of ways.

He groaned as she took more of him into her mouth, her hand moving up and down his shaft, as she moved from gentle to hard in record time, sucking his manhood with all she had in her. Her tongue swiveled around the head of his cock before she resumed her sucking. He lost his sense of vision as all he saw was stars, he always tended to lose himself in her presence. Her mouth released him before her tongue tenderly licked up and down his length, she carried on this rhythm, her gentle kisses and hard sucks, before she took him deep in her throat and the sounds he made was inhuman. She continued to milk him, until he lost all his resolve and grabbed her by her blonde tresses and pulled her off him.

"For gods sake, Caroline, I almost came in your mouth," he panted.

She licked her lips salaciously, "Oh how I love it when you call me Caroline, all this 'your Grace' this and 'your Grace' that. becomes extremely tedious."

He eyed her incredulously as she moved to a standing position again and began to unbutton his shirt, "Marry me."

"You know I can't do that," she responded nonchalantly.

"Why not?" He questioned angrily, "I come from a notable family, I have been loyal to you for many years, and even more importantly I love you and I will never stray."

"I cannot marry," she replied, "No man and no child is coming between me and my country. In years to come I will be remembered as the Queen that changed the face of the realm, not as someone's wife or another's mother."

"I would never take the throne from you. I will walk alongside you, a step behind, taking direction and cue from you. I will worship and serve you in whatever role I play, as your knight or as your husband."

"You say that now, but I've seen your thirst for power. I watched how you smiled as you slaughtered men like sheep, I've seen the adrenalin rush you get when a subordinate cowers at your feet. We are the same, Klaus, we will never be able to rule together, one would destroy the other, and I'm not willing to take the chance of you destroying me."

Klaus sighed as he slowly untied the laces of her gown and made quick work of her corset, this discussion was one they held regularly and it always ended with her winning and Klaus conceding. As much as he wanted to fight the issue further, in the back of his mind he knew that she would never accept his proposal so he would take what she would allow as long as he could.

Their bodies fell together as it did many nights, a myriad of kisses and touches and lustful glances. Her lips at his ears describing the deaths of the soldiers he had cut down on the field, him telling her how Lord Lockwood begged for mercy, their darkest desires unleashed as he thrusted into her and she arched her back, enticing him to go deeper, to push her further, to make her release all the more sweeter.

No other woman, no other man, would ever understand their love of blood and power like they did for each other. Intercourse was more than just a rough tumble, intercourse was where they released their true nature and desires, intercourse was where they became one.

* * *

Klaus sought Caroline out after her meeting with some of the nearby townspeople. He was in no state to wait upon a queen, with the gashes across his cheek, and his armor coated in mud but what he had to say could not wait, and he knew Caroline well enough to know that his attire would not matter to her in the grander scheme of things.

"Your Grace, they are advancing in on us," he reported to her in a hushed whisper, "We lost 352 good men today."

She swallowed thickly, "And on the Salvatore side, are they losing men as well?"

"Yes, thanks to your spies, we have been able to predict many offensives and strike them before they strike us, but many of their troops fall through the cracks," he informed her, "They are extremely strong and well trained, it seems as if decades living in a military regime has made them impenetrable."

"But yet, no other army has kept them fighting for over three weeks. We need to move faster, bring the spies to court tomorrow, and the generals we will strike deeper and harder until Damon Salvatore will have no choice but to seek a meeting with me and make a deal," she said with a self assured smile.

Two weeks later King Damon Salvatore summoned her to his castle for a meeting.

* * *

"Are you so paranoid that you cannot speak to me without your trusty stead nearby? I suppose the rumors are true, you are turning senile," King Damon said sardonically as Caroline and Klaus entered his throne room.

"No, merely cautious," Caroline quipped back, barely missing the beat, "The rumors of me are barely heard over the ones that say that those who enter your private chambers never exit, with the exception of the Queen of course." She gestured towards Queen Elena.

"Your disrespect is not appreciated here, your Grace," Damon said through gritted teeth, "So I'll make this simple for you, withdraw your knights and we shall decide not to kill all of them." He offered her a patronizing smile.

Caroline gave a hollow laugh, "It's a good thing you are easy on the eyes, good King Damon, because you are lacking in the cerebral department. We are slowly but surely killing our way through your kingdom, and we will not stop before we have you and your lovely queen over there as bones in the foundation of our new castle." Her eyes narrowed, there was no more amusement left in her glare.

"We had one of your knights over for dinner the other night, didn't we, Lord Niklaus?" She said mockingly, "And for dinner, I mean his severed head sat on the table while we ate around him. What was his name again, Lord Niklaus?"

Lord Niklaus didn't answer her, just continued to stare at King Damon, his hand on his sword.

"Oh wait, I remember," Caroline said, "I think he said his name was Stefan, just as I stuck my sword in his neck. Pity though, he was such a good looking lad."

Damon shot up from his seat and made for Caroline, his knights intercepted him and Klaus moved to stand in front of a cackling Caroline.

"HE WAS MY BROTHER, YOU EVIL WENCH!" Damon bellowed at Caroline as his knights struggled to keep him back.

"Oh I think I do recall my spies revealing something to that nature, although they also said he was in charge of the military and the finest knight you had in your employ, so your Grace, will be willing to strike a deal now?"

* * *

The second time that Queen Caroline was summoned to King Damon's court, he was far more composed, his face stonily serious. In addition to the King and Queen, this time in the throne room, sat a young girl of about eighteen years old, who resembled a younger Queen Elena but with the jet black hair of King Damon. Caroline surmised that she was their daughter being trained in diplomatic relations, just as she had when she sat the feet of her father.

"Your Grace, your courtier says that you have a plea for me?" Caroline asked as she entered.

"Yes, your Grace," he responded, "We, the Salvatore Kingdom will surrender our arms, and call off the fight, if your men promise to kill no more villagers and if you allow us to continue to govern the land and keep our status and castle, but work under your leadership."

Caroline smiled brightly, "Oh Damon, this is all I ever wanted. If only you had this much common sense in the beginning, you might have been able to save your brother."

Damon's straight face wavered slightly as he looked as if he was attempting to keep his mouth shut.

"So how would you like us to do this? The usual old blood contract?"

"I was thinking more of a marriage contract," Damon countered.

"No," Caroline responded blankly, "I will not be married."

Damon chuckled, "I did not mean you, even I know that's a lost cause. I mean the next best thing, your right hand, Lord Niklaus to my daughter, Princess Katerina."

Klaus growled behind her as his hand tightened around the hilt of his sword. "Or I could just have all of you killed," Caroline responded through gritted teeth.

"Queen Caroline, you may be a capable ruler, but you don't know this realm," Damon bit back at her, "You need us because for centuries my family has ruled this country, and the people know and trust me. If we are not on the throne, you will be dealing with rebellions every other week, they will burn their crops, they will attack your knights, you will live in constant unrest. I know you are a ruthless leader but you are a smart one too, you know you cannot do this without us."

Caroline pondered over his words for moment before replying, "You have a deal."

* * *

"Why? Caroline? We could have worked out another deal. Between the two of us, we could have been able to work out a more reasonable contract," Klaus hissed as they entered her bed chamber.

Caroline moved to remove her jewellery, seemingly nonplussed at Klaus' outbreak, "I thought we got off quite lightly," she shrugged.

"Lightly!?" He fumed, "I have to live my life attached to some dimwitted princess all because it's convenient for you. You know this is not what I want, have I not been serving you loyally for years?"

"You swore an oath to the country, to me as your queen," she responded coldly, "This is what is best for both, are you telling me you are willing to go against this? To become an enemy of the state because you are not willing to marry one of the world's most beautiful princesses?"

"No, of course not, your Grace," he replied hurriedly, "I just..just don't want to give you up." He cupped her face, his hard, coarse fingers tracing her chin as those beautiful blue eyes that haunted her dreams stared down at her.

She smiled slyly, "Who says we have to give anything up?"

* * *

_**2 years later** _

"Your Grace, Lord Niklaus has a request for you," a courtier announced as she sat in her throne room and responded to the pleas and requests of her people.

"He may enter," she could not help the smile that adorned her face when he entered, among all the stresses and humdrums of running her kingdom, he was a welcome distraction.

"Your Grace," he bowed before her throne. His hair had grown longer in the past three months in which she hadn't seen him and all she could think about was her fingers tugging on those perfect curls as he confessed his feelings of adoration and love to her over and over again. She always attempted to appear aloof to his admissions but she was addicted to them, to the feel of being loved and appreciated and desired, the way that only he could.

"Lord Niklaus, it has been a while," she smiled down at him.

"It has, your Grace," he responded politely. She noticed he did not catch her eye, and that his entire demeanor had changed. He appeared stiff, uncomfortable.

"I hear you have a request for me?" She questioned.

He cleared his throat. "Yes I do," he said, "If it pleases, your Grace, I would like to request a transfer to the Salvatore Kingdom."

"Why would you want that?" Her tone became slightly hysterical, giving away far more emotion than she had intended.

He bowed his head, "My wife, your Grace, she is with child, and she would prefer to be close to her mother, and…and I would like to go with her."

Caroline closed her eyes for a minute, begging her mind to ignore the gnawing feeling in her stomach. She had orchestrated this, she had attempted to push away her only weakness, she had always known this alternative existed and she would live with the consequences.

She opened her eyes, and offered him her brightest, most forthcoming smile, "That can be arranged, I shall speak to the necessary council men and they shall let you know. Thank you for years of service and congratulations to you and your wife."

Klaus nodded, he began to walk out before stopping in his tracks, he turned around slowly, looked her straight in her eye, before smiling sadly and walking out. That day the last door to her heart was shut, and nobody else would ever get anywhere close to the hold that Niklaus had.

* * *

_**8 years later** _

It had been ten years since the Salvatore Kingdom had joined the Forbes' Kingdom and it had been a fruitful decade for both areas of the realm, the merger ultimately was what both kingdoms needed, and it was only a forward thinking ruler such as Queen Caroline who could have predicted this.

The anniversary was celebrated by a banquet held in King Damon's castle, Caroline had thrown herself so much into the running of her kingdom that she barely gave herself time to feel. Feeling reminded her of him, and of the fact that she would never be with him again, because of her own selfish reasons.

The minute she saw him, across that crowded banquet hall, all the air left her lungs. She was known for her verbose nature but not a word could leave her lips as she stared at him. Time had aged him, but to her he looked just as perfect as he did the first day she saw him when he was a young knight searching for adventure and she was instantly enamored. She smiled shyly at him, and he offered her his signature smirk. She saw Princess Katerina in the distance, deep in conversation with her mother, her belly swollen. Caroline's stomach dropped. Katerina was giving him the life he always wanted: a devoted wife, a family, love; the life she could have never given him.

Klaus, sensing her discomfort, made his way over to her, a young girl with dark black hair and bright blue eyes tagged along behind him, her tiny hand encompassed in his larger one, Caroline could not help but stare.

"Your Grace," Klaus greeted as he bowed to her, and the young girl with him did a curtsy while smiling shyly.

"Lord Niklaus, what a pleasure to see you," she responded tenderly.

"I would like you to meet someone very special," he remarked, "This is my daughter, Caroline."

"I have the same name as you!" The little girl quirked back.

Caroline smiled affectionately, "Did you know it means 'free man'?"

"Yes, my daddy told me all about what a special name it is and how I was named after a strong, beautiful queen who continues to free her people. When I am grown up I wish to be just like you."

Caroline crouched down, until she was level with the little girl before saying, "No, little girl, you need to forge your own path in life. It is all good being beautiful and strong but once you find love, you should never give it up even for all the land and the power in the world, because you never realize what is truly important to you until it is gone." She glanced back up to her old knight and his eyes shone with understanding, wistfulness and just a twinge of regret.


	7. I Like Us Better When We're Wasted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Klaus and Caroline - two frenemies - allow some truths to be released one night when they've had too much too drink.

The problem with being in a group of friends is that there is always one that you aren't fond of, that you sometimes 'forget' to invite to group events, who when they say the simplest sentence annoys you as if they just dragged their nails down a blackboard.

Caroline was an amicable person; she liked people and people just happened to like her too. She boasted that she could melt the hearts of even the sourest of people...but then there was Klaus Mikaelson - the exception to the rule, the one who made her want to claw out her own eyeballs while simultaneously murdering him - slowly, to inflict maximum pain.

She didn't know what it was about the older Mikaelson that made her see red but all of her interactions with him either ended up in her storming away or a scoff and an eyeroll, and a smirk on his end. Sometimes she simply believed that the gods had put him on earth just to irk her.

Caroline's history with the Mikaelson's began during one summer when she was nine years old. She was in England visiting her paternal grandmother (who had emigrated in order to marry her long term penpal - don't ask it's a long story) when she befriended Rebekah Mikaelson, who lived next door. Rebekah did not have many friends, she blamed it on her overprotective parents and the fact that they moved around a lot, but during that summer Rebekah and Caroline developed a friendship that lasted through letters, emails and eventually texts until Rebekah made the big move over to the States.

Caroline's relationship with Klaus wasn't that rosy in the slightest. When they were younger Klaus was Rebekah's constant companion and she thinks a part of him resented that she took her away him that summer, that Rebekah had someone else to spend time with and because they were so similar, Rebekah forged a bond with her which she did not have with her brother.

Her first clue into this, was when he tried to convince their mother (one scary woman) that Caroline was a bad influence on Rebekah and they should not be spending time together (Caroline and Rebekah still found a way), then there was that month where Rebekah received none of the letters that Caroline sent her but later found them in a bundle in Klaus' room, and then years later when Klaus got a job in New York and started spending more time with Caroline and Rebekah, it was the open animosity and mocking tone he employed towards her.

So that was why when she stood alongside her bags at JFK airport she groaned unattractively as she saw Rebekah approach and a familiar blonde head tailing after her with luggage of his own.

"Really Rebekah, you had to bring the fun police along?" The distaste in her voice evident.

"Now, now love, what kind of a greeting is that? It almost makes me feel unwelcome," he responded.

"Well then, mission accomplished."

"Play nice you two," Rebekah said, turning to Caroline, "He wanted to come along, apparently he has some business to discuss with Elijah, and Katherine said it's alright. Where's everyone else?"

"Bonnie and Elena are running late, Stefan just went to go get a cup of coffee," Caroline replied, "And you better make sure he's on his best behaviour, I won't allow anyone, even an egotistical bastard, ruining my much needed vacation."

Klaus saluted her mockingly before moving over to take a seat while they waited for the others. Caroline sighed deeply, there went her relaxing weekend.

They were travelling to Los Angeles to visit their friend Katherine, an actress who had recently got her big break on a network television series, and her husband Elijah, who just happened to be yet another Mikaelson sibling. Caroline had been working on a contract for over a month, nights and weekends included, and she had finally closed the deal, this weekend away was her chance to relax. But now that seemed impossible, with the addition of Klaus to their party.

Luckily, because Klaus had booked his ticket after them, he wasn't sitting near them on the plane and she had a full six hours where she didn't have to deal with him constantly annoying her.

The hotel however was a different story, somewhere up there there was a god that hated her and somehow Klaus had managed to snag the room right next to hers. And yes, she was currently in talks to change Murphy's Law to Caroline's Law. She sighed loudly, when he pulled his key card out of his pocket in front of room 506, and she swiped hers outside 504.

"What did I do in this world that was so horrific that I'm stuck with you for the entire weekend?" She quirked.

"Oh come on, love, it won't be that bad. I keep you on your toes, keep things interesting. Plus the receptionist said that we have an adjoining balcony so you can maintain your favorite hobby of walking in on me naked," he smirked.

"That was one time!" She exclaimed, "And I didn't have my contacts in and mistook your bedroom for the bathroom, I didn't even see anything."

"Now why do you sound so disappointed?"

"I don't, I, I, I mean, I wasn't disappointed," she stuttered.

He laughed loudly before opening his door, "You look so adorable when you're flustered. Remember dinner is at 7, don't overdo it at the mini-bar."

He disappeared behind the door as she stood in the hallway, annoyed.

She didn't know why he always got to her, she thought to herself as she sipped on her glass of red wine (what? technically she was paying for it, she might as well indulge), she usually prided herself on being able to withstand annoyances but Klaus Mikaelson always seemed to get a reaction out of her.

It wasn't even as if he was particularly witty or she was extremely sensitive, he just always knew which buttons to press and she always played along with his games. She did not question why, or dared to read too much into the situation but even she had to grudingly admit that he did make things more interesting.

(And he called her adorable?! What was that about?)

 

* * *

 

 

The dinner was a collection of air kisses, barrel laughs, and overflowing of champagne. Katherine, who sparkled in New York, seemed to become a glamazon in Los Angeles. Her television role came complete with a new look, new joie de vie and a smile that could stop traffic. She was happy, she was fulfilling a dream and Caroline was so proud of her for going for what she wants.

Katherine was introduced to their group of friends when she started dating Elijah. At that time, she was playing small bit roles on Broadway, biding her time until she got her big break, and Elijah was a suave entrepreneur, creating businesses where no one else could even imagine. He was a mover and shaker of the modern business world and one rainy Thursday he moved and shaked into a little Broadway actress, knocking her clear off the New York sidewalk that she sprained her ankle. Distraught with remorse, he carried her to E.R., stayed with her until she was all bandaged up, transported her back to her apartment and just happened to fall in love with her during their adventure, and the rest is history.

Katherine quickly befriended Caroline and Rebekah and soon the in-love couple were part of their fold, followed soon by her twin sister Elena and along with Caroline's old friend Bonnie, Rebekah's boyfriend Stefan and (sigh) Klaus they had a nicely balanced group of friends that could easily rival the characters on a sitcom like _Friends_ or _How I Met Your Mother_ (or so they liked to believe).

There quiet reunion dinner that night quickly turned into a noisy affair when the 'remember that time' game became a little too rawkus and Elijah suggested they moved to a more secluded destination where the entire Hollywood wouldn't hear about that time that Stefan walked in on him shaving his pubic hairs (to be honest, most of the group wished that they could unhear that story).

Once they had departed the restaurant, Caroline stopped dead in her tracks on the sidewalk, "It's Friday night, we're in LA, we're young, I'm hot, we need to go to a club or something and get wasted. I didn't cross the country to chill at home, this is supposed to be my 'free and wild' weekend."

"And a 'visit my friend Katherine' weekend," Katherine piped in.

"Yes, of course that too. I don't have more fun than we are all out together, So let's go shake our patooties in honor of youth, beauty and freedom!" Caroline exclaimed as she started marching down the road.

"Calm down, Enroljas," Bonnie responded, grabbing her arm, "We first need to get a cab."

Klaus put out his cigarette in the ashtray and turned to his sister who was sitting opposite him, "I'm probably going to be off soon, this music is getting a little tedious for me."

"Sure old man," Rebekah replied, "You're becoming more like Elijah everyday."

"Hey now be fair on the man, Katherine has an early morning rehearsal, he had to get his wife home," Klaus responded.

Rebekah raised her eyebrow, "And if she didn't he would have invented some international conference call that he had and made one of us take her home."

Klaus laughed, "I must admit when Caroline suggested we go to a club, all I thought of how uncomfortable he'd be in the setting, but Elijah is an obliging bloke."

Rebekah laughed with, "Speaking of Caroline, she seems to have accomplished her mission of getting sloshed." She pointed to Caroline grinding up against some very muscled man.

Klaus narrowed his eyes, "I see so, you should probably get her home sometime soon as well."

"Why? Let her have her fun. You didn't see her these past few weeks, that contract really had her stressed out. I was considering getting her horse shampoo that's how worried I was that she'd lose all her hair and I would have to explain to people that she's not Britney Spears circa 2009."

Klaus rolled his eyes, "Rebekah, you're so dramatic. But I do fear if you just leave her be, she'll end up going home with that beefcake and we all know how she'd regret it. Let's not have her fun and relaxing weekend tainted by regrets."

Rebekah took a sip of her drink, "Oh you sound so poetic when you try and make up excuses. Well if you're so certain that she'd regret having scandalous sex with that beautiful beautiful, ripped man on the dance floor who clearly seems to be into her than you can go and fetch her and then we all can leave now."

Klaus nodded grudgingly before going to the dance floor and attempted to separate Caroline from her dance partner, who tried to put up a bit of a fight but Klaus silenced him with a few choice words, and then dragged a very angry Caroline back to their table where Rebekah, Elena, Bonnie and Stefan were already waiting.

 

* * *

 

 

"He was cute," she told herself as she laid on her hotel bed. It had only been an hour since she left the club and she could not exactly remember what the dance partner that Klaus so crudely removed her from looked like. At that point she was sure he was super hot, but now she wasn't so sure. She did however remember that he smelled like Hugo Boss and that his t-shirt was definitely a few sizes too small.

But still he was hot, and would have made a decent sex partner for the night.

Urgh Klaus wasn't only annoying, he was also a cockblock.

Still that guy could have tried a little bit harder to fight for her.

She sighed again, this was her life, just one almost after another. She got up to pour herself some bottled water from the mini fridge and opened up the patio door to the balcony, it was a beautiful night and she wasn't quite ready to let it go just yet.

She exhaled slowly, regardless of whether or not she had sex with some random good-looking stranger she had fun, letting loose and spending time with her friends, that's exactly what she needed to unwind. She was about to gulp down the rest of her water and head back inside when she smelt the wafting smell of smoke.

She turned her head sharply to the left where the smoke was coming from and was surprised to see Klaus standing just a few feet away from her, staring at her and smoking casually.

"Creepy, much?" She scoffed.

"Hey, I was just hanging out on my balcony, thinking about important things and smoking, you are the one that intruded into my personal time," he responded.

"And the staring? You could have made yourself known instead of keeping quiet and almost giving me a heart attack."

"It isn't my fault that you are too wrapped up in your own world to notice what's going on around you," he countered.

"But it is your fault that I went home alone!" She shot back.

He smirked for a moment, before turning away from to look over the balcony again, "Let's not pretend that that wasn't exactly what you wanted me to do, love."

"Why would I want you to ruin my night?"

"Please, I hardly ruined your night. You didn't want to go home with that bloke and you would have regretted it the next day. I was just saving you from yourself," he ashed out his cigarette and turned to look at her, "Plus we both know he's not the one you wanted to be going home with anyhow."

"And pray, wise Yoda, who do you think I wanted to go home with?" she retorted.

"Why, me, of course," he replied as he stepped closer to her.

She laughed humorlessly, "You are clearly delusional, I want nothing to do with you, not since -"

"Not since the last time you were drunk, do you remember that Caroline?" he took another step closer to her.

She remained silent, gripping her water glass firmer.

He didn't wait for her to reply and just carried on talking, "I sure do, actually I recall it often, mostly at night…"

His eyes bored into hers as he covered her hands with his and slowly removed the water glass from it, and set it down on the small table on the balcony.

"Let me remind you what happened," he moved closer to her, she was staring up at him as if she was struck mute by his words (or it could just be the alcohol that made everything fuzzy).

Klaus tapered an arm around her slim waist and moved his lips down to her ear and started whispering, "There I was, just minding my own business and walking out of my bedroom just a three short months ago, when the blonde goddess of my dreams hurled herself at me," he started walking them backwards until they were up against the wall between their separate patio doors.

"She pushed me up against the wall, and then her perfect lips touched mine, and I was lost in oblivion," without delay, he kissed her with an odd bout of gentleness which she never really attributed to him before. His lips pressed against hers and his tongue slowly coaxed her lips apart and she allowed him to deepen the kiss as it became more passionate, less controlled, more fervored.

She remembered the moment he was recalling all too well, she knew fully well that she sought him out that day that she got trashed at the home he shared with Rebekah,while Rebekah and Stefan were getting all too friendly, she knew she wanted Klaus and her alcohol made her a whole lot braver and carefree than she usually was. Klaus had indulged for a while, even though it appeared as if he enjoyed it, before he stopped her and put her to bed in one of their spare rooms. The next morning she woke up confused and humiliated and she had been avoiding Klaus or being purposely antagonistic to him since, she didn't want him to think she was hung up on him or anything.

His body moved closer to her, trapping her against the firm walls of the hotel, his hips moving against her torturously as his lips started to kiss a path down her neck. She whimpered softly, now she knew why so many of his ex girlfriends stalked him, the boy had talents.

"Are you going to push me away like you did last time?" She groaned out as she felt his manhood begin to harden against her.

"I'm way to drunk to even attempt to stop this," he murmured back at her, "Plus I've been waiting three months for you to acknowledge this, I'm not letting you go now." He paused and pulled back from her slowly, looking her in the eyes before saying, "Unless you want to stop?" His eyes were practically pleading with her not to say no, but she didn't need any convincing as she whispered, "No, don't stop."

Klaus didn't resume his place, but picked up her hand and led her into his bedroom, she followed diligently behind him until he shut his patio door and stalked towards her again, cupping her face, his course thumbs stroking her cheeks almost reverently before he brought her face closer to his and kissed her again. His mouth devouring hers, his tongue duelling with hers, savouring in her taste, he drank like a starving man.

He pulled away from her to start taking off her jacket. "You have no idea how long I've been dreaming about doing this, being with you," he breathed.

Her hands went to the hem of his grey henley shirt as she stroked his chest and lightly brought the fabric up with her hands and over his head. "I've had a crush on you since I was nine, I just always thought you were out of my league."

"I never hated you, I was antagonistic to your relationship with Rebekah because you wanted to spend time with her and not me."

Her dress hit the floor.

"I intentionally walked in on you naked."

His jeans.

"I have a sketchbook with just pictures of you."

Her bra.

"I still have a flower you randomly sent me for Valentine's Day when I was 13."

His socks and shoes.

"It wasn't random."

Her panties.

"Neither was the kiss."

His boxers.

They were bare in front of each other, physically and emotionally, all their missed moments, undisclosed feelings, attempts to mask how they really felt with hostility, had led them to this point - drunk, naked, but finally honest about how they felt about each other.

They rushed at each other at the same time, Caroline jumped and wrapped her legs around him as he cupped her ass, their lips fused together as they moved towards the bed. Klaus tossed her onto the bed lightly and climbed up her body as she settled against the pillows. His eyes predatorily washed over her naked form, drinking her in before he kissed her again, almost as if he was grateful that she was giving him the chance just to see her like that.

His lips moved to the column of throat, as he reverently gave her open mouth kisses, sucking hard, leaving marks, making sure that the next day she wouldn't be able to deny their liaison because his marks would be displayed on her body. Even through all of his fantasies, and his planning and his joining of their trip, paying the receptionist to give him the room next to hers, and convincing himself that this would be the weekend that he finally told her how he felt, he never ever thought that he would be ending the first night with her squirming naked underneath him.

As his mouth moved further and further down her perfect body his hand moved from her waist, brushed over her belly, and rested at the apex of her thighs. He felt Caroline breathe in anticipation below him as his fingers slowly entered her, the first one exploring and then another one joined it as he picked up the pace - stroking her, feeling how wet she was for him, how much he turned her on, it was enough to send him over the edge already. His fingers started pumping her faster, his thumb brushing over her clit as his mouth latched onto her breast - sucking, licking, biting - as his other hand caressed her other breast. The multiple ministrations caused her to unravel, Klaus sure knew what he was doing as she felt the sensations in her abdomen started to build up.

"Klaus," she grunted. Klaus carried on with his ministrations, his fingers that were inside of her, now moving more ferociously, almost as if the sound of her voice gave him more determination.

"Klaus!" She said more confidently, "Klaus, as good as this feels, I really need you inside of me already, I've waited too long."

Klaus looked up at her, his eyes looked dazed over, as if he had just woken up from hypnosis, but with in seconds his familiar smirk was back on his face, "But what part of me do you want inside of you? My fingers, my tongue or my cock?"

Caroline shuddered at the tone of his voice, "Your cock, oh god, your cock."

"And how do you -"

Before Klaus could finish his sentence, Caroline grabbed onto his shoulders, and tossed him onto his back on the bed, she climbed over him, straddling his waist, her wet heat perched right above his hard cock.

"You talk too much," She whispered before she slowly lowered himself onto him. They both groaned loudly as he filled her, her walls stretching as they got used to his size and they continued going until she was filled to the hilt. Klaus lost all sense for a minute as he revelled in how right it felt to be inside of her, but after she lifted herself up and slammed onto him again he knew that there was no going back for him, no other woman before had fit him as well as Caroline.

His hands moved up to her waist as he guided her movements, helping her as she rode him. Her head tossed back, her eyes closed, she looked a wild goddess, _his_ goddess. He began to thrust up as her pelvis moved in revolutions. His other hand kneaded her breast reverently, as she cried out his name, again and again in adulation. He moved closer to her as his hands spread across her back and he began to kiss her neck again, his lips moving up before he caught her mouth in a passionate kiss. There was something extraordinary that heated up his body when they were connected, something different, something special.

Caroline felt the heated coil that had been building up in her abdomen snap as she began to move more ferociously above him and she cried out to him and all the deities as she came undone above him, it wasn't many ministrations later and he joined her into oblivion. They fell onto the bed, tangled up in each other, breathing deeply as they came down from their respective highs.

Klaus kissed her again, robbing her of breath, forcing her to share his. "That was indescribable," he whispered against her lips.

She smiled brightly at him. "I'm still too drunk to go another round, but tomorrow, tomorrow I want to have you seven more times," she mumbled as her eyes started drooping closed.

Klaus just chuckled in response.


	8. Their Nirvana

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gryffindor! Caroline and Slytherin!Klaus - A Dramione AU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was written for my friend Tyler (margoatrobbie on Tumblr)'s birthday. It's supposed to amalgamate the two things she loves - Dramione and Klaroline. Thanks for reading!

Caroline pulled off the invisibility cloak as she entered the classroom, remembering to lock the door behind her, they didn't want Filch walking in on them again. He was leaning against one of the desks at the back of the classroom, offering her his signature smirk, his face only partially visible by the moonlight shining through the large windows, but the 'I' badge that was prominent on his robes was clear to her sight.

"What excuse did you give Salvatore this time so that you could borrow his magical cloak?" Klaus asked as he pushed off the desk and walked towards her.

Caroline ran her hand through her hair self-consciously as she watched Klaus stalk towards her, she swallowed before saying, "I just told them I needed to check something in the Restricted Section of the library, for extra research for one of our essays for Professor Snape." She didn't dare tell him that she actually told Stefan and Enzo that she was working some new ideas to help Stefan with his Dumbledore's Army lessons. Through all the secrets that they had together, this was one that was too big to risk especially when he wore his Inquisitorial Squad badge so prominently on his chest.

"And what did you tell your goons? What story did you spin them as to why you are out of bed?" She asked as he stood in front of her and picked up a lock of her hair and spun it around his finger.

"I told them the same thing that I told Umbridge: that I had heard members of Salvatore's group might be up to suspicious business in these parts tonight and it would be best if I patrol because I'm particularly stealthy," he responded proudly.

"Suspicious business like what?" She whispered as she felt his hands move to the tie of her robes, their bodies still silhouetted in the dark.

"I don't know, suspicious like seducing members of the Inquisitorial Squad in dark empty classrooms, " he murmured as he leaned down to kiss her neck and she sucked in a breath.

"Seduced? I think you are the one doing the seducing, Mr. Mikaelson," she replied with a small moan as his lips moved to her ear.

"You have transfixed me far more than any curse or potion, from the moment I met you I knew that you would be the bane of my existence, and how true is that of now," he said as he removed his lips from her in order to loosen the ties of her robe and help her out of it, "Everyday is torture for me, seeing you in the halls, watching you in class, pretending to hate when all that I hate is not being able to touch you, to hold you, to call you mine."

She gasped at the determined look in his eyes. This conversation wasn't anything new, the way they treated each other and were expected to treat each other because of their houses, their political standings, the sides their allies took on the war, their history was all too much for any inkling of their relationship to go public at that point and they both understood it, but that did not mean that they found it fair or that it did not frustrate them to pretend. It might be hard for people like Stefan and Enzo, or his friends, or his parents to understand but there were things like their love, which had no bearing with Voldemort or the war or anything, and once a week in that empty classroom they made their own sort of escape.

It was one night which if planned perfectly by them (especially with her intelligence and his sneakiness they always succeeded) could be their reprieve from the constant tensions which the second coming of He Must Not Be Named and the denials of the Ministry had brought them. During their reprieve they discussed running away together, even though they both knew that Klaus would never leave his family and Caroline would never abandon her friends when they clearly needed her help, they imagined living in a time where their feelings for each other would be accepted and they could look forward to a future together. But yet through all they discussed there was still so much they didn't share with each other - Klaus never spoke about his father's work as a member of the Death Eaters and Caroline never spoke of Stefan's plans with the Dumbledore's Army or about the secret plans of The Order of the Phoenix. The Imperius Curse and the Cruciatus Curse were real and the less they knew, the safer everyone was.

Klaus leaned down to kiss her again, his tongue invading her mouth, as she responded receptively. He always kissed her like it was the last time. And perhaps it would be, with the lives they lead, with Voldemort hiding in the shadows, with Umbridge causing chaos at Hogwarts, with the feud between Klaus and Stefan, sometimes there was just too much stacked against them. If Mikael Mikaelson even got a whiff of the fact that his pureblood son was having a secret romance with a muggleborn he would pull Klaus out of the school faster than you could say 'Quidditch'. Unfortunately Klaus Mikaelson could not choose who he fell for, and even more he could not help that his fellow Slytherin, Hayley Marshall, who everyone thought he was involved with, failed to challenge him or interest him the way that the quick-witted, intelligent, beautiful, courageous, muggleborn Caroline Forbes of Gryffindor did.

Her hands moved to remove his robes and then to unbutton his shirt, slowly, in order to feel every inch of him. In all of their encounters she liked touching him, caressing him, so to convince herself that he was there, with her, that he was not just a dream, a fantasy that she had conjured up. She knew that their romance was doomed, that one day they would be parted - either because of their own differences or by the fates of the war - but she knew that she would always want him. It wasn't so much that he was her first love, but because he was her right love. He challenged her intellectually, morally, he held up his own against her, and he loved her like no one else ever did, and she doubted ever will. She hoped that one day once everything was over they would be able to come back to each other, but even if that would not be the case, if this were all they had, she would commit it to memory for all time.

He broke the kiss again to take off her dress as he stared in awe of her beauty. He might have been young, with not much experience but her beauty never ceased to astound him, and that paired with her brilliant mind, convinced him that there was no better woman for him. He knew that once he came of age, his parents would expect him to marry someone from one of the influential pureblood families, and to grant their wish and stay in their favor, he would do so. But he also knew that no other woman would ever compare to Caroline, and that he would continue to love her until his dying breath. He just wished that he was more rebellious, that he could give up his family, his honor, get out of his own way in order to be with her, but would she do the same? He knew her friends were everything to her, and she literally fight to the death for them, but being with him would be one of the biggest betrayals to them and he doubted whether she would ever chose him over the mighty Stefan Salvatore and his quest to save the wizarding world.

They were both naked by the time he laid her gently on the floor of the classroom, his cloak serving as a barrier between them and the cold floor. He kissed her body, softly, strategically, hoping to kiss away every bad thing that he had ever said to her, everything he had ever done to hurt her or sadden her, every stress and trial this war and the ministry was doing to her. He knew that he wasn't the cause of every hardship that had become her but he always felt as if he could never apologize to her enough because he was simply lucky that she saw him worthy to be with her.

Everything began after a prefect's meeting one evening, all the other prefects had left after they had been given their assignments. Hayley had told him that she was going back to the common room and she would catch up with him later and just his luck, Enzo had gone off before Caroline as well because he had other things to do, and Klaus could not resist staying behind to take some jabs at Caroline, just so that she would notice him, or bestow some sort of attention on him. Even though he knew she always had a retort, he craved her, he wanted her to look at him, he wanted to be the reason that her cheeks were flushed; her tone was quipped, that her eyes were narrow. He would rather have her hate him than be indifferent to him; hate was at least a passionate emotion.

It was while they were arguing about something inconsequential that his resistance broke and he grabbed her and kissed her, he was shocked as soon as he had done it and had attempted to move away when her hands came up behind his head and kept him there and he was even more shocked that she was returning his affections. After that their relationship consisted of a few more surprise kiss attacks until they organized their regular meet ups because they could not stay away from each other.

Later that night as they lay naked, wrapped up in each other arms; they both wished that they could capture that moment, their happiness, forever. The morning would bring fresh fights and reasons to hate each other, and family and friend biases, but in the night, in their classroom under the moonlight, they were just two lovers, creating their own paradise.

* * *


	9. I Am Ready

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is based on the TV Show Outlander.

_His lips traced a path down the column of her neck, as she closed her eyes in ecstasy. It was sinful how good he felt inside of her, how he brought her to heights she didn't even deem possible prior to meeting him. But the part of their lovemaking which always affected her the most, was the way he looked at her - with reverence, with worship - as if there were none like her, as if she was a gift crafted by the gods just for him._

_And it was at times like these that she believed that he would be her last love._

* * *

She fingered the rocks and felt the granite under her fingertips, every year she returned to that spot and hoped that that might be the day that the rocks and all its mystic qualities allow her to return home: To her time, to her day, to her husband. But each time it seemed as if the rocks were mocking her, disguising themselves as empty shells, as she prayed to yet another unseen presence, asking them for the impossible.

Yet Caroline knew where the fault lied, every year she returned to Craigh na Dun but each year her dedication and resolution to return to the 20th century decreased, and her reasons for staying, for continuing the life that she had forged in the 18th century had increased.

She walked around the stones once more, as she dealt with her conflicting emotions. Could she return to Tyler after all this time? Play the role of a dutiful wife? Be able to romance him when he wore the same face of the man who tormented her in the 18th century, his ancestor? And what about Klaus? Why did she feel as if she would be betraying him if she returned to her first husband?

* * *

Tyler had been her first love, and whom she believed would be her only love. They had met before the war through some family friends, were inseparable and fell madly in love, but before they could wrap their heads around their newfound relationship, Neville Chamberlain was announcing that Britain was at war and they all had to take their places - her as a nurse at the front lines, and Tyler as part of intelligence unit in London. They didn't want to be separated, and Tyler felt they needed to make a lasting commitment to ensure that they would return to each other after the war. So one dusty Monday, they got married in a courthouse surrounded by other soldiers and the paramours, many of whom would never return home to fulfil their marital duties.

It was years later, when Germany had surrendered that they were reunited. Caroline often wondered if too much had changed between the two of them for them to ever be the lovesick young couple they once were, but he was her husband and she was determined to make it work. She had watched so many men die over the five years and never be able to be with their wives again that she felt a responsibility to attempt to reignite their spark.

As a way of distracting them from the horrors of the war, Tyler had planned a trip for them to Scotland as he was doing research about one of his ancestors, Richard Lockwood, a notorious commander in the Redcoat army which was fighting against the Scottish independence. Tyler was trained as a historian, Caroline as a botanist, but both of them craved the escape that the Scottish highlands offered them.

Tyler had told her about the Druid rituals that took place by the standing stones of Craigh na Dun, and she was transfixed, wanting to know more, see more, of this culture that has stood the test of time. So one night, Tyler took her to watch them perform one of their rituals. The process in and of itself was beautiful, the women worshipping and dancing in praise, but Caroline was so immersed in watching the ritual that she did not realize that her wedding ring had slipped off (she had lost so much weight during the war, it barely fit her anymore). It was only the next morning that Caroline noticed her bare hand, she told Tyler her predicament and she made her way back to Craigh na Dun to look for her ring while Tyler stayed behind to do some research at a local library.

She expected the ring to be difficult to find, it was afterall a small object in and amongst the tall grass, but almost as if it was waiting for her, she found it right where she was crouched the previous night. She was about to return to her car, when she saw a plant that she had learnt had miraculous healing abilities near the upright rocks. It was her curiosity that would be her downfall, as she wasn't content to just collect the plant, she had to inspect all the rocks, in case she found more rare plants. This was when she heard the whispering from the rocks, it seemed as if the voices were beckoning to her but she could not make out what they were saying. So she went nearer and nearer, until her ear was pressed against the rock, which was the last thing she felt before she felt a pull and she was laying on the ground, the clouds had shifted, and she was no longer in the present day.

* * *

_"I knew," he whispered, as he loomed over her, his body covered in a sheen of perspiration from their latest round of lovemaking._

_"What did you know?" She asked good-naturedly as she played with one of the necklaces he had around his neck, a lazy smile lighting up her face._

_"I knew," his thick Scottish accent breaking a bit as he spoke, "from the very first time that I laid eyes on you, with your long blonde hair wild around your shoulders, your torn dress and your defiant eyes that you would change my life. And now here I am, and I cannot even imagine a life where I am not loving you."_

_She gasped at his honesty. But yet, that is how it was with Klaus, to everyone else he seemed hard, unforgiving, and abrasive but when it came to how he felt about her, Klaus was nothing if not tender and certain._

_She did not comment on his sentiments, instead she let her actions speak for her as she pulled his head down and captured his lips with hers._

* * *

If she believed that the 20th century was a difficult place for women, she had not even considered the 18th century, whereby just being unattached was allowing oneself to be open for attack. The most traumatizing of this was the repeat beatings, and near rapes from the commander of the English army, who just happened to be her husband's ancestor, and uncannily share his face. So it happened that her second marriage had none of the romance and excitement that the first held, it was done hastily and strategically in order to protect her from the English Redcoats and other foes.

Caroline had stumbled across Clan MacKenzie when one of the leaders, Alaric, saved her from Richard Lockwood, the first time he attacked her. She travelled with them, attempting to return to Craigh na Dun so she could somehow make her way back to Tyler, in the craziness of what her life had become, he was her rock, he was the one thought she clung to, her reason to not give up, to find her way back. Caroline proved her worth to the clan when she nursed Niklaus, Alaric's nephew and future clan leader, back to health after a nasty fight with the Redcoats, her own experience as a war nurse, and her knowledge about medicinal plants making her an invaluable part of their clan.

Niklaus was a promising leader, a skilled fighter and an excellent orator. His uncle, who had no children of his own, had taken Niklaus under his wing when his parents were killed by the Redcoats, and taught the furious, vengeful young man to use his anger to fight for Scottish independence. Alongside his role in the clan, Niklaus was also charming and devilishly handsome, and women were constantly batting their eyelashes when he came into town, or the more confident ones batted parts of his anatomy. Niklaus' moods changed like the wind, he could go from threatening a man to charming his wife in a matter of seconds. And this is the man that Alaric had chosen for Caroline.

Caroline did not understand the decision, Niklaus was surely a prized bachelor, why would Alaric marry him off to a penniless widow? She voiced her question one afternoon as she and Niklaus sat by the lake as they often did, even before the betrothal. She admired the way the sun allowed the gold flecks in his hair to shine through, she had often found herself admiring him lately - that mental block that chastised her everytime she appreciated the physicality of a man that was not her husband was beginning to chip away because as she reasoned with herself, in this reality her husband did not exist yet, and if she were to marry again it would help that she felt some sort of desire towards her husband. And oh Niklaus made it easy to desire him, with his lean and muscular body, his golden curls, his piercing blue eyes, and those dimples. Oh those dimples made her weak in the knees.

"I wonder why your uncle made you marry me?" She asked, "I'm sure there are plenty more wealthier and influential women that would be extremely keen to wed you."

"He did not make me," Niklaus responded, "I offered."

"But why?" Caroline pressed.

"Because none of those other women interest me," he shrugged, "And I wager that none are as beautiful as you, or as strong, or as full of light. It is honor to be betrothed to a woman such as yourself."

Caroline stared at him dumbstruck as he lifted himself up from the bank and returned to the castle.

* * *

_She kissed down his impressive chest, pausing every few moments to offer him an encouraging smile. In all his interactions and experiences with women previously, none had felt the need to pleasure him fully, to worship his body, to make him feel invincible. But somehow, Caroline felt as if this was something she wanted to do for him, to be generous, to be grateful, to show her appreciation._

_His breath quickened as she her ministrations moved further and further south on his body until she lightly kissed his member and he groaned loudly. Caroline saw that as encouragement as she took his manhood into her mouth, and allowed her tongue to slide along the head. Klaus' moans became louder as she moved her tongue up and down his member, her hands stroking where her mouth couldn't reach. Klaus' hand moved instinctively to her hair as she continued to suck, to lick, to stroke until his body went rigid and he released his liquid onto her tongue. Caroline smiled triumphantly as she swallowed, his face showing how sated and overwhelmed he felt._

_"God, marrying you was the best decision I've ever made," Klaus exclaimed after he finally got his breath back._

* * *

In the time that she spent in the 18th century, Caroline became many things she thought she would never associate with herself - an adulteress, a bigamist, a liar - all words with negative connotations, but nothing about Klaus felt negative. It felt right. She did not believe in fate, but a while ago she did not believe in druid rituals and time traveling either but she could not believe that some master planner in the sky schemed for her to defy the rules of nature, hop two centuries in the past, just so she could meet a man who would destroy everything she knew to be true.

Perhaps the reason why she could not go back to her own time was that the rocks were sealed to her, perhaps her future was with Klaus, perhaps she had to experience this type of love before she was to be returned. But oh how cruel that would be, that when her heart was solely Klaus' she would be separated from him. And therein lied the truth as to why she still allowed part of her heart to be inhabited by Tyler, because Klaus had the power, the passion, the endurance to encapsulate not only her heart but her entire essence but she feared that if she allowed him to do this and she would never be able to go back.

* * *

_He seemed so much less severe when he was asleep, his eyes closed to the world, his perfect red lips slightly pursed. She watched her husband breathe methodically as she ghosted her hands over his form._

_All the grand declarations of love had come from him: his descriptions of her beauty, him telling how he felt about her, how everything he did he did for her, how he intended to be her last love, and in each of those instances she stood silently, doubtedly, too fearful to respond. She tried to reciprocate in her actions, her gestures, her intentions._

_Klaus was fire, he warmed her from the top of her head to the tip of her toes, with him she shone, she blazed, she gave light to others, but she knew that once the fire vacated her she would be burnt without recognition._

_His arm moved to find her in his sleep, as it did on many a night, and she allowed him to drape it over loosely, he only seemed to sleep soundly when he was with her, she watched his sleeping form once more before allowing herself to doze off as well, as she whispered softly, "I cannot imagine a life where I was not loving you either."_


	10. Beware the Siren's Song

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The tale tells the story of a mermaid and a pirate, but all he heard was a song.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologise for the quality of this, I've been struggling with this drabble for about 3 years and it's been a while since I've writing anything, I'm trying to get my groove back.

_“No siren did ever so charm the ear of the listener, as the listening ear has charmed the soul of the siren.” - Henry Taylor_

 

* * *

All legends are birthed out of some semblance of truth. A godly war was once an earthquake, a dragon was once a weirdly shaped tree on top of a mountain, and Lord Niklaus Mikaelson was a son of the Earl of Pembroke. This is where the solid truths end though. The story of Captain Nik and his mermaid bride was a love story that had been told for generations, tweaked, padded and elaborated for the various audiences until not even the original storyteller would have been able to recognize the tale.

Unlike _Tristan and Isolde_ and many other historical love stories there were no facts, records or statues to perpetuate that this legend was anything other than fiction. On the contrary, historians have proven that Lord Niklaus Mikaelson was the third son Lord Mikael Mikaelson, the Earl of Pembroke by his wife, Lady Esther. According to reports of the day, Lord Niklaus disappeared from society after a dispute with his father, he returned seven years later, apparently having travelled the world like many titled young men of the age, with a large fortune and a beautiful, mysterious wife, Lady Caroline. 

What had transpired in that seven years is what the rumors are made out of, in the early years it was believed that he had joined exploring troupes commissioned by the crown, others still insisted that he had joined up with rival ships from Spain and by winning lands for the crowns he had earned his gold. But the story that enticed storytellers and amateurs alike was that the young Lord Niklaus became the most ruthless and notorious pirate that the seven seas had ever seen.

Little is known about how Lord Niklaus made the transition from nobleman to dirty pirate but it is believed that even before he left England he had run in’s with the law that his father covered up - petty thefts, quarrels, gambling - that the jump to piracy was not such a big stretch. But this was where the legends stepped in…

 

* * *

 

He always loved the ocean. When he was six he went on vacation alone with his mother to visit his grandparents in North Yorkshire, this was the first time that his mother fully allowed him to run free. At home, with his father and various governesses around, he always had to adhere to a strict code of conduct but in the seaside town, he could eat sweets and run in comfortable clothes, and he even made friends with a local fisherman, Ansel, who would take him out on his boat.

Every couple years, the two of them would return to the town for a visit and perhaps a reprieve from Mikael, until Niklaus was 16 and his mother, Lady Esther died in childbirth. He visited North Yorkshire one last time after his mother’s death when Ansel revealed to him that he was a product of an affair between his mother and Ansel. They were childhood sweethearts who could never marry because of their class difference but he never stopped loving her, as he told Niklaus. 

That was the day that Niklaus vowed he would never fall in love.

 

* * *

Lady Esther’s death meant that Niklaus no longer had her protection at home, and even though Mikael knew that Niklaus was not his son, his reputation with the crown could not afford a scandal that his wife’s adulterous behaviour would bring. So to the outside world, Niklaus was simply Mikael’s third son, but in the confines of their home, Mikael kept no pretense as to how he really felt about Niklaus - restricting his movements, berating him at every turn, in some cases the altercations turned violent - and he forbade his staff or the other siblings to talk about what was happening in their home. 

For the longest time, Esther tried to shield her son from Mikael’s brutality, but when she died giving birth to the couple’s final, stillborn son, there was nothing standing in the way of Mikael’s rage at his wife’s indiscretion and the walking proof that lived within the halls of his home.   

Luckily for Niklaus, he was sent away to school and then university, but when he returned to his family home after his schooling, it became obvious that Mikael’s aim was for him to marry a daughter of one of the rich members of British society so that he could use the dowry to further his own plans. Niklaus was not about to sacrifice the rest of his life, cooped up with some society girl in order to make Mikael’s life better - so he fled. 

Unbeknownst to Mikael, Esther’s parents had left Niklaus a ship when they died, that was previously maintained and protected by Ansel, and years later, this was where Niklaus ran to, so he would not be forced to bend to Mikael’s will.

Within years, _Seven Stars,_ sailed across most of the known world and Niklaus immersed himself in other cultures and ways of living, he worked odd jobs, making money in order to feed himself and his crew until he discovered his true talent - pillaging and plundering foreign ships for resources. He started small, with little ships as he was mentored by Francois l’Olonnais and then he moved up to attacking the large fleets of Spanish resource ships - stealing and killing, until he usurped his mentor as the Pirate King of the West.

Just like most kings, his reign was short, but what undid him was not a rival or even a friend, it was the weakness that crippled most men of the age - love.

 

* * *

Her father once said that everyone is born with a song in their heart, they just needed to discover it, and she had been searching for years. In her father’s court, they were taught a variety of songs, but sooner or later each mermaid will discover her own and add it to the repertoire, and Caroline was the only one of her sisters who had not found hers yet. 

Your own song is different to that of others because when you sing it, it appears to come from inside you, it lights up your being and draws others to you like magnets.

Her father, King Triton, often said that their roles in the world was to make things in the sea a little bit more fair. They would lure evil pirates to their deaths in order to make sure they don’t terrorise the honest explorers and traders, but she always felt guilt about using her gift to cause the death of others.

The day she discovered her song, began like so many other days - she collected shells with her sisters, she watched as her sister Katherine caused the death of a destructive pirate vessel, and she was about to **attempt her first solo, when she saw him**.

 

* * *

Katherine was a lot like the King, in that she revelled in the chaos that she caused simply by opening her mouth, and this week’s wreckage was just part of the casualties of war. But hearing the cries of those who fall to their death was something Caroline never thought she could ever get used to; the prayers for a deity to intercede, for someone to save them. No matter how many times she was told that these were bad men who had done bad things, it did not minimize the empathy she felt for them.

 The _Seven Stars_ was Katherine’s target for the day. The notorious pirate ship, lead by nobility was infamous for distracting and disarming explorer ships from all opposing sides of the continent.

“We will be doing the humans a great favor,” Katherine said, as she tossed her long brunette tresses over her shoulder and prepared to sing, “Not like they deserve any favors from us.”

 Caroline watched the familiar pattern: one of her sisters starts to sing, the air electrifies, all the ships in the vicinity begin to reroute itself to the direction of the singing voice, collides with rocks and all the occupants fall to their death. But this time, things were little different. 

Yes, Katherine began to sing, yes the air electrified, but the _Seven Stars_ did not glide towards the rocks as ships usually did. It seemed to be constantly tugging back and forth. Caroline could see Katherine’s eyes narrowing in confusion, it appeared that there was a struggle on the ship. The ship was moving, but it definitely was not smooth sailing. 

The closer the ship came to where they were perched on the rocks, the clearer the scene became. It appeared as if a man on the deck of the ship was pulling the seamen away from the steering gear and the sails, as they, entranced by Katherine’s song, attempted to steer the ship to the rocks. It was perplexing, Caroline had never seen a man immune to the song of a siren.

He looked up, his eyes focused on Katherine, as he seemed to resign himself to his fate before he blinked twice and went back trying to wrestle control of the ship again. Caroline looked upon the man’s face - his brow furrowed in worry, his strong arms fighting, his eyes confused and disturbed - and she felt a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach, a warm emotion, a sense of purpose. There was something about this man that made Caroline feel linked, tethered, apart of, there was something deep within her that told her that this man cannot fall to his death, this man cannot be another corpse littering the ocean floor, another life lost in sacrifice to the hunger of the open sea. And that is what she told herself when she launched her hand in front of Katherine’s mouth and ended the song.

 

* * *

He felt the water enter his lungs, and his first thought was that he had always figured that he would die at sea. Of course, he had regrets, like any sane man, but his regrets were mainly that he would never see Mikael’s face as he arrived back in town, his arms filled with riches and with enough money to exclude Mikael from any space that he desired to. 

It was a bitter thought that even in his last moments, that monster was present, albeit in his mind, even though there were millions of miles between them, Mikael’s hold on him was still as tight as it was the day he left his home.

He saw the bodies of his shipmates float to the top of the ocean, as he struggled to stay afloat, there was no true loyalty in piracy - no matter what the fairytales would have you believe - Klaus always knew that if another ship had to offer his men more gold, they would jump in a heartbeat, but he still felt a sense of comradery towards them. These men had fought in the trenches with him, protected him, gotten drunk with him, even fed him, and now they were no more, because a song caused them to go insane.

He still didn’t understand completely what had happened. Everything was on course, he was still laughing with Marcel over a lewd joke when suddenly Marcel’s face changed, his pupils dilated and his mouth went agape and he suddenly rushed to steer the ship in the opposite direction - towards the rocks. Klaus immediately looked around for one of the other men to help him, but Tristan, Vincent and Joshua were under the same spell, and were assisting Marcel to lead them to their death. The necklace around Klaus’ neck burned warm against his chest as he fought the enchantment surrounding the melodic sound in the air, and he attempted to get the ship back on course. God forbid, Niklaus Mikaelson goes to his death without a fight.

He began to lose consciousness as the ocean enveloped him, his last thought being his mother, and the look on her face the first time that she introduced him to Ansel, his eyes drooped as something yellow and warm seemed to engulf him, that was the last memory that he had of that night.

 

* * *

Her father always warned them about getting too attached to the world of men. He told them horror stories about other sea inhabitants who were impaled, killed for sport, eaten, their voices and tails taken away from them. He taught them that men were cruel and evil, he taught them to be afraid. But as she brushed the hair off the forehead of the man she was holding who was struggling to breathe, she couldn’t help to think how helpless he looked, a man who was so beautiful could never be truly evil.

The warm feeling at the pit of her stomach returned, as his breaths became more and more stagnant. She had lead him to a cave close to the point where his men had lost their lives. Caroline had  a little knowledge in healing, but she knew that she could take a human back to the kingdom to be helped by their healers, and there would be hell to be dealt with once Katherine reported to her father what Caroline had done. 

Realizing that there was very little she could do to keep the man alive, Caroline gave into her tears, she allowed the feeling resting in her to be released - except that the scream or cry that she expected to happen, never came - instead a beautiful melodic sound filled her ears, illuminating the cave, and slowly the man on the ground’s eyes began to open. It took Caroline a minute to realise that the sound was coming from her, she had found her song.

 

* * *

  

Yellow. That’s the last thing he remembers seeing before he lost consciousness, and it was the first thing he saw when he opened his eyes. Light, unlike he had ever seen before, filled the cave, and the most beautiful creature he had ever seen was making a sound that seemed to slowly warm his body.

“Where, where am I?” he stuttered. 

The creature, which, as his eyes became more focused, he noticed was a woman, seem to startle at the sound of his voice, and the singing became softer. She smiled at him, and he noticed the tear drops littering her cheeks. 

“My lady, why are you crying?” he asked.

“You are alive,” she whispered.

“What happened?” he asked.

“Your ship was in an accident, and and everyone died, except for you,” she murmured, turning her eyes away from him.

He looked around the cave, exasperated, “But how did I survive? My father always said I was a curse onto the world, I should’ve known it would culminate into something like this one day.” He added in a sneer.

Caroline tentatively reached out and pulled his necklace from out of his doublet, “This necklace protected you from the power of the siren.” She softly traced the vial attached to the end of the cord of the necklace that he had gotten years before from Ansel before he had embarked on his exploration.

“What’s a siren?” He asked, confused at what that had to do with him surviving a shipwreck. 

“Sirens are dangerous creatures that lure sailors and seamen to their deaths by the use of enchanting music,” she answered, almost monotonously. 

“And you, you saw one of these sirens, lure my ship to the rocks?”

She laughed, “Saw? I learnt at the court of the Siren King, I was baptised with the waters of the Mediterranean to be able to bring death and destruction to generations of humans. I am the heiress of pain and ill-will. What do you think brought you back to health?”

There was so much bitterness and pain maring her beautiful face that Klaus couldn’t help but to reach out and stroke her cheek, in an effort to comfort her.

“What is your name?” he whispered.

“Caroline,” she said, equally as softly, “My sister, it was my sister who sung the song that caused your men to shipwreck, and when I saw you fight it, I knew you were you unlike anybody I had ever encountered before. It was you. You were the one that was created to make my heart sing. And I couldn’t let you go down with the ship.” 

Klaus was awestruck. He had known his mother loved him, even if he wondered at times if she cherished him because she saw Ansel in his face, his grandparents seemed to tolerate him, Ansel was certainly fond of him, and his younger sister adored him, but there was something so appealing of someone wanting him, desiring him, seeing something special in him.

“My men,” he murmured, he thought of Marcel’s laughing face before his free will was taken from him; Tristan who proposed to a woman at every dock, falling from the sails into the sea that he was his only true love; Vincent who could be so pious at times, fighting him to take control of the ship. These creatures had robbed him not only of his riches but of these men’s lives. 

“You killed them,” he spat out, “Every last one of them, you creatures killed them. For what? For sport. And then you have the audacity to try and put me under your spell too!”

Caroline fell back against the wall of the cave, her face etched with hurt, “No, no I didn’t, it was Katherine. 

“I don’t care who it was, your kind killed ships full of people for no reason other than your own enjoyment.”

“You don’t know what it’s like!” She shouted back at him.

“Love,” his gaze turned dark, “I’m no stranger to murder for chaos, I know how the texture of blood feels on one’s hand, the sense of victory you feel when you watch someone take their final breath. The power of being the one to administer life or death. The sea is dangerous playground.” His words came out in a whisper, his voice just as menacing as his words.

Caroline shuddered, she felt a strange need dwelling within her, a sort of unfamiliar feeling but yet something that felt as if it had been housed inside of her since her inception, and it was finally being released. What was it about this man that transfixed her against all reasonable doubt? 

“It’s not that!” she exclaimed, “I have been told my whole life that my destiny is to bring death and havoc to countless men, but every inch of my being has told me that that is not something I want to do. My father doesn’t understand, my sisters don’t understand, I _am_ different. And no matter how much they want, I can never be the person that they want me to be. I didn’t even have my own song until I met you. And here you are, accusing me of things, creating assumptions, when you don’t even know me. What right do you have?” 

Klaus was taken aback, something in Caroline’s words, in her tone, in her posture made her seem so real to him in that moment. He saw himself, trying desperately to fit into Mikael’s ideals, to be a perfect child even though the odds were stacked against him, competing with his siblings in a competition that he was never qualified for. Caroline broke down, and in that minute he hated himself. This woman looked so lost, so broken, so vulnerable that his first instinct was to comfort her.

Klaus was not a comforter. He had his fair share of women, being a good-looking pirate meant that his bed was never cold for too long, but he had not felt affection for another in so long that he barely recognised the emotion in himself.

 “What did you say about your song?”

She looked up at him, her face wet with tears. “My song. Every siren has their own unique song which they use to lure men into their traps. It is caused in a moment of strong emotion - anger, sadness, joy, love. I was the only one of my sisters that did not have a song - until tonight.”

 Klaus remembered the beautiful melody he had heard when he had woken up. “Did you sing that song to seduce me?” he asked, perplexed.

She seemed embarrassed for a second, before responding, “No no, I was distraught when I thought you had died when the song came to me, it was the song that healed you. There had been murmurs of a myth that told that if a siren had found their true soulmate, their song could be used for methods other than death.”

“But you don’t even know my name,” Klaus said, even more confused.

“Lord Niklaus Mikaelson, son of Mikael and Esther Mikaelson,” she replied, nonchalantly.

“How did you know that?” He said, shocked.

“We had heard the rumours of the notorious _Seven Stars,_ also it said so in your pocket book,” she shrugged.

Klaus looked at her, his anger dissipated, and he saw the women standing there, luminant and determined and wondered what his life would be like if he opened it up to another.

“What now?” Klaus asked.

“I cannot go back to my home,” she responds, “Not after I left my people to save a human.”

“And I have no ship, no money and nothing to my name. I don’t think I can offer you much for saving me,” he replied with a sigh of resignation.

Caroline seemed to shrug in defeat before an idea struck her.

“You can help me end the senseless killings,” she responded, a new enthusiasm in her voice 

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“I have been working on a plan for the last couple of years, a way to foil the plans of the sirens to murder countless sailors just like your men, all I needed was an ally from the outside, will you help me?”

Klaus watched as her face lit up with passion, and in that moment he was certain that he had  never seen anything as beautiful. He knew right then that she was the one to eclipse all of his darkness. 

“Have you ever been to Paris?” he blurted out.

She looked confused for a second before responding, “No, I haven’t really been anywhere outside our home.”

“I’ll take you,” he said, “I’ll take you anywhere you want to go.”

  



End file.
